Brewers Wives Take Over the Show: Lexi Vaughn, Natalie Zastryzny & Lauren Bauers, Hosted by Erica Finke

SPEAKER_04
0:00

I think for it being a small market team, people always look to the big market teams. People really sleep on Milwaukee. We really get a packed house at a 110 game. And I think I've really experienced it over the last three years, specifically last season. You could just feel the energy shift. So I I think that is the high biggest highlight about Milwaukee is that it's like sneaky cool here.

SPEAKER_02
0:18

I love here that the fans, like they love the team. Very die hard here. I feel like that's just all of the Wisconsin sports. They all love them. So true.

SPEAKER_01
0:26

He's had ups and downs in the 13 years that he's been playing professional baseball and have to go through that with them, plus you know, handle the mental load of everything, plus the dog, plus the babies, like everything.

SPEAKER_04
0:37

Some people like glamorize and want to like be married to a professional athlete, not really understanding what you're giving up. And a lot of that looks like putting your career second or being the full-time parent.

SPEAKER_03
0:50

What's up everyone? Welcome back to another episode of Milwaukee Uncut. Bree and Richie were out of town during this episode. So it's Erica. I'm the one that's gonna be introducing this entire episode. And it is a very exciting one. It's Milwaukee Uncut, the Brewers' Wives Edition. So we had Lauren Bowers, Natalie Zestrisney, and Lexi Vaughan here on the podcast. So all of these women are from completely different parts of the United States. But what's bringing them together is Milwaukee and all of their husbands playing for the Milwaukee Brewers. So you'll get to hear some of their stories, what they love about the Creative City. And also it's just a really interesting perspective that I was really excited to chat with them about. You're gonna love them. Before we dive in, let's make sure to thank our partners for making Milwaukee Uncut possible. We're gonna kick it off with Nicolay Law, the Midwest Law Firm Injured. Nicolay and Russ, and the team will take great care of you. Up next, we got Annex Wealth Management. If you're looking to get your finances together and have a goal that deals with money, your earnings, your investments. Make sure you go talk with the experts at Annex. They have an amazing team ready to listen and help you with your personal goals. Drink Wisconsin Believe Beverage Company, the best vodka brandy, canned cocktails in the game, available at bars, liquor stores, all across the state. And also now available at Anna Fam Field. And make sure you check out their corner bar in Right Field. Also, quick shout out to Vendetta Coffee, a friend of the show, for helping us set this one up. And of course, if you want an amazing cup of coffee and some food, make sure you head over there to Tosa or Walker's Point or even Bayview. Alright, let's dive in.

SPEAKER_04
2:33

I'm Lauren Bowers, Jake Bowers' wife. I'm Natalisa Stresney, Rob Zestrisney's wife. I'm Lexi Vaughn, Andrew Vaughn's wife.

SPEAKER_03
2:40

Amazing. Well, you guys, thank you so much for coming. I'm really excited to be able to chat with you. But um I don't know. I think it's it's gotta be kind of a unique life that you guys live, to say the least, right? Yeah, it is definitely insane.

SPEAKER_04
2:52

We've been doing it for a long time too, so it feels like um it gets harder but also easier because you're just kind of accustomed to everything at a certain point where you kind of just put your blinders on and like keep going, track it along.

SPEAKER_01
3:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04
3:04

You're just used to it at some point, right?

SPEAKER_01
3:06

I mean, constantly moving, just it's part of it's part of it.

SPEAKER_02
3:10

Yeah, it's I'm so used to packing up everything twice a year and bringing everything to a new house that I've never been to. Right. Yes.

SPEAKER_03
3:16

And especially now, I mean, if you haven't been doing it for a while, then already we're already in the thick of the season. We just dealt with even a major blowout last night against the Mariners. So, like, were you guys there? Yes, we were there. It was a lot, a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_04
3:29

We did not see it going that way. We were just like vibing, and then Gary Sanchez came in, and I was like, oh, this is this is legit. This is so fun.

SPEAKER_01
3:37

Gary and William hugging to end was the best.

SPEAKER_04
3:40

We were all chanting Gary in the stands, like we all get very invested into the games.

SPEAKER_01
3:44

Uh it never fails. I walked away as soon as my husband hit a home run. Like, I've seen probably a less than a quarter of his home runs this year, but you know, we love it nonetheless. I think he walked away for his other hit too. Yes, all of it.

SPEAKER_03
3:57

All of it. No, you're literally just as it's getting good. Yeah, man, what am I doing? I just have to sit here. Like you can't pee, you can't go fix your hair, you can't get drink, you can't get food, you have to sit there and watch. You're gonna miss something. Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_01
4:08

Yeah, I got to watch it with the kids, so it was fun.

SPEAKER_03
4:11

And I mean, that's the cool part about it is that you do get to keep going, you do get to keep supporting. Exactly. Um, so I guess that was kind of a fast forward, but like just tell me about you guys because obviously, you guys individually, you know, you you get to do awesome things, but you guys are also awesome people, as is. And I've got I've obviously only gotten to chat with you guys for a couple minutes, but you guys are so fun, bubbly. So tell me more about yourselves. Where are you fine from?

SPEAKER_01
4:31

Um, Jake and I are from Southern California. Um, we both actually grew up and went to high school together, so high school sweethearts. Um, and I it's been kind of weird because this is once we got to Milwaukee, this is like the first time I've actually lived with him before that. It was like college, and I got to be a teacher for a little bit, and then we decided to have kids. So now full-time mom for the moment and baseball wife, but yeah, it was got to live a little bit of a life before just full-time baseball.

SPEAKER_03
4:59

That's wild. Literally, just the first time you lived together was finally professionally wild. There's no transition there right away.

SPEAKER_04
5:06

Yeah. What about you, Natalie? Yeah, we're from South Texas, Corpus Christi, and we went to high school together. We're not high school sweethearts, but we did meet in high school, and then we rekindled later when I was in college. And Rob's originally from Canada, so our story is just like really interesting. But yeah, I've been doing this. He got drafted in 2013 and we started dating in 2015. So it definitely feels like a decade of my life was just like blink of eye, full of by probably a lot of fun at least. A lot of craziness, wildness, a lot of wildness. He's been on like 10 different organizations, and I mean Milwaukee and the Cubs have been like the two that we really had like our most bearings. Like we were there with them for like three to four years. So we're just happy to be here. It's been, I honestly didn't think he'd still be playing. I think him and I both are like, oh, we didn't, I didn't think you'd still be actively playing in this moment of time. Like 34, 35 years old. It's insane. But yeah, I love it. It's fun.

SPEAKER_03
6:01

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02
6:02

So, Laxie, what about you? We are completely opposite. I'm from South Mississippi. Andrew's from Northern California. Um, we met in college through mutual friends. I went to Ole Miss, he went to Berkeley. Um, yeah, it was very crazy how we met, but we started dating. We did long distance for like a year and a half, two years. COVID hit, and I was out there when COVID for a college spring break, and then that's kind of how we moved in together.

SPEAKER_03
6:29

Oh wow, COVID relationship going straight in there.

SPEAKER_02
6:32

That was the year after he got drafted. And so then we went straight to Chicago that year for he was on the taxi squad when they had it. Um, and then yeah, baseball started. He got he made debuted 2021, April 3rd, I think it was his birthday. Yeah, or April 2nd, something like that. That was the first day of the season. Um, and so he debuted then, and we've kind of been doing baseball since going back and forth.

SPEAKER_03
6:55

That's amazing.

SPEAKER_02
6:56

Yeah, very different than everyone else.

SPEAKER_03
6:58

It has to be super glamorized, though, right? Like the life of you guys get to play at this time. Obviously, yeah, like there, you only see the really cool, the highlight reel of it too. Like even me working in media, it's like everybody's like, whoa, that's so cool, but nobody sees the hours of rehearsals that we have to do, you know, the crazy stuff. Like, I look like shit before I actually like get on TV. It's like they don't see all of like the rough, they don't see the challenges, they don't see the rough around the edges. So, kind of where does that come in for you guys, too?

SPEAKER_01
7:23

Yeah, I mean, well, also, I mean, it is a little more glamorized in the big leagues, but like the minor leagues going through that. I went through that because I we're high school sweethearts, so I've been through it all with him. And like there were some places I he wouldn't even let me come stay at his apartment because it was so bad. He was like, You're not even stepping foot here, like you're staying in a hotel. Um, you know, and just like I think it also depends on the relationship. Like if you're long distance, that makes it harder too. It's not this, like, you're not just floating around with them, traveling, like everyone says, like, you've been to every baseball stadium, right? And it's like, no, that's a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of, you know, and there's other things in your life that's going on. So it's not just this follow them around, you know, do what you want, everything's taken care of for you. Like, no private jet. No, no private private jet.

SPEAKER_02
8:08

Like to not pay for not writing commercial. And you know what? We're paying for our own tickets to games.

SPEAKER_04
8:13

Yes, yeah. I think a lot of people don't know that too. Yeah, we pay for our own tickets and we pay for everyone's tickets when they ask for them. Yeah, really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03
8:20

So is that like a big um misnomer, I guess? Would you say that's discounted, but like we're still paying for it.

SPEAKER_04
8:27

We get like we pay the taxes on tickets, and it just gets more expensive uh depending on who we're playing, if it's playoffs. Yeah, but Coves versus Brewers is probably like insane. Yeah, it's definitely insane. Yeah. To Lauren's point, like uh when Rob was drafted and I would come visit him, it was baseball's very different now. The minor leagues looks a little bit different, and it's I'm not saying it's any easier, it's just they do get living paid for, expense other expenses are paid for. When I would go visit Rob, it was like a one-bedroom apartment with one bathroom, and then the guys would alternate when the girlfriends would come to town. Yeah. So like there would be a blow. Yeah, we love a little privacy. It would be like a blow-up mattress in the the living room, a blow-up mattress in the kitchen, a blow-up mattress in the dining room, and then like we would alternate rooms, and then they would wash sheets and like do the bathroom. Oh my god. So it was definitely like it's just changed so much, and him and I really love to like laugh and look back at just some of the places we lived, or like some of the minor league places you've gone, you're like, Oh, I was I was in Syracuse, or like I was like, What the heck am I doing all the way over there? Like, who lives there, right? No, yeah, and there's not there's literally just them all, like that's all there is to do there. So it's there's you have to find, and I think that's probably the the best part about baseball is you have to become comfortable being by yourself because you're by yourself a lot. Um, and I think a lot of people don't realize that it's like if you're not putting yourself out there to be friends with other girls on the team, it can feel really lonely and isolating. If you have kids, that's another like added factor because then you're a mom, and then that kind of just makes things a little bit like further isolating, yeah, probably. Yeah, because it's just like if you want to make plans, you gotta have the nanny, you gotta or babysitter. So just things like become different in every chapter and stage of baseball. But it's it's definitely something that people glamorize. And I think people just it's like social media, people just see like a minute of your life and they're like, they have it all. And we do get to do some really cool things, but it's it comes with a lot of sacrifices too.

SPEAKER_03
10:15

Yeah, obviously, it sounds like monetarily, obviously, as well as like travel, and that takes a lot of time and energy, and you have to constantly meet so many people as much as it is also isolating in itself. I can only imagine. So, what are some of those challenges that you've experienced too, Lexi?

SPEAKER_02
10:28

I think that it's really hard going to a city where you know no one, you have no family, your friends probably aren't close to you, and then the guys leave every other week. Because, like you said, we're not gonna go to every series. Like, I'm not gonna go to Detroit four times a year. Yeah, like I'm not doing that paying for my plate to go. Like, that's just a lot. Yeah. Um, so that's really hard. I think that, yeah, it being expensive, you're paying for bills wherever you live at, and then during the season two, you have to pay to move. The guys aren't helping you move. So, like when Andrew got traded last year, like I had to pick up, he wasn't even there, he left. Yeah, I had to pack up our whole house, and then we had to pay to get everything moved, and like we don't know where we're gonna be at first. So it's just like a lot different than what everyone thinks.

SPEAKER_01
11:08

Yeah, no one like remembers like some if you own a house, you pay that mortgage, you're paying rent, you're paying double mortgage. Yeah, you're paying the bills everywhere.

SPEAKER_04
11:16

Yeah, one of my fondest and like most hilarious moments is when we were traded back to the brewers last year and I was like six months postpartum.

SPEAKER_03
11:23

And oh no.

SPEAKER_04
11:25

Uh Dan, which is like our team liaison, he like works with the guys to do travel planning and all that stuff, was like, Rob, you're on the next flight out out of Philly tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. And it was like midnight when we got the call. And I was like, what am I gonna do? Like how and then I in my brain, I was like, Well, I don't really have time to think about it, I just gotta figure it out. And I had to get a U-Haul attach it to my wagoneer, and I had two dogs, and I was like driving cross country and yeah, from Milwaukee to uh all the way to or from uh where were we? Where is the triple A team for uh the Yankees? Uh oh Scranton Play. Oh, yeah, Scranton, Pennsylvania. So we're in Scranton, Pennsylvania, driving all the way to Milwaukee, stopped in Pittsburgh because the boys happened to be there playing a series. Yep. And Rob's like, well, I'll see you, he's like hopping on the team flag. He's like, I'll see you in Milwaukee. And in my brain, I'm like, you don't even understand a little of what I've got. Don't even take anything to I've just had a really long travel there. Oh, I can't. I can't believe that. And you're matching sweatsh, get out of here.

SPEAKER_02
12:23

Get out of my face.

SPEAKER_03
12:24

I've just packed up and moved this entire house.

SPEAKER_02
12:27

Um my favorite thing is all season when we're on flights together, and Andrew's like, oh my gosh, I'm so stressed. What do I do? And I'm like, go sit down somewhere. I'm doing this all year, like every other week.

SPEAKER_04
12:36

Because they're just they're on their like team-tarted flight, so they just don't know how to act regularly anymore. They stress out.

SPEAKER_02
12:41

Or I mean, I'm sure I get to the gate four times, make sure it's there.

SPEAKER_04
12:45

No problem with our kids. I don't know if Jake's like this, but like with Sunny, well, I'm like, you just let him run around. He's like, but he's crawling on the floor and he's putting his hands in his mouth. I'm like, you just gotta let him do it. It's fine. Yeah, it's really okay, but he like panics about Sunny. He's like, I don't know how you do this with a stroller and a car seat. And how do you get all in here this bother the way?

SPEAKER_03
13:01

You've already been doing that kids have been doing it to the same extent, I guess. Right.

SPEAKER_04
13:06

They got clubbies that can do things like that.

SPEAKER_03
13:08

I know. I know. They can they can pay anybody to go long.

SPEAKER_01
13:12

It takes them a week or two in the offseason to like acclimate to real life.

SPEAKER_03
13:14

Like I can only like to actually be a real human, like a normal human that's not on a crazy schedule. So from that ex from that perspective of you guys obviously being the wives, like what is that perspective life of like of seeing them struggle in a different type of way to a really, really demanding career?

SPEAKER_01
13:28

Yeah. Yeah. Um, I mean, it's it's crazy, especially with having the kids. Like Jake wants to be at home and like hang out with them, but obviously he's gotta go to the field early, take care of his body, you know, get himself right. And so it's like he's gone from before noon to probably almost midnight every day, depending on like the time of the game. Um, so it's it's definitely a lot. Like we joke about like how much mental load we carry, but like I have to try and remember, like, he is carrying this family too, you know what I mean? Like he works so hard, and it's it's definitely been crazy to see like the struggles and the ups. Like he's had ups and downs in the 13 years that he's been playing professional baseball, and like I've been through it all, so it's it's kind of crazy to like have to go through that with them, plus you know, handle the mental load of everything, plus the dog, plus the babies, like everything. Um so I don't know, it's just you have to like make sure you find that person that can be a good team.

SPEAKER_04
14:23

Yeah, exactly. I've always said it takes a really good woman to be um next to a professional athlete. You know, some people like glamorize and want to like be married to a professional athlete, not really understanding what you're giving up, and a lot of that looks like putting your career second or being a full-time parent when the dad can't come home and do bedtime routine or see the first steps and things like that. So um to your point of just like when they've been doing this for so long, you see the ups and downs, and when they're already like a one percenter of a lot of athletes, a lot of people don't make it professionally, a lot of people don't make it to the big leagues, and then a lot of people don't stay in the big leagues, and like having to have that to adjust to the game because it's always changing, and then always having to know that you have to ride the wave, like you can't be too high, too low, which I'm the too high, too low. Like the guys are so good at just being level headed, even when things aren't going their way, and and I think they I don't know how their husbands are, but Rob never tells me how he's actually feeling until the end of the season. And I'm like, Well, why don't you tell me that? He's like, Because then you would be anxious and worried and stressed out, and I'm like, Well, yeah, you're probably right, and that would make it worse. And I but it's just that a lot of people, it's 162 regular games, so it's a it's a lot, whereas like football and basketball and hockey, and you know, they're not playing every single day. These guys change so fast too.

SPEAKER_03
15:40

Like you could be doing really well, and then you could suck, and then you could be doing really well.

SPEAKER_02
15:43

Yeah, with there being so many games, I feel like there are a lot of high moments, and then there's like lows, and most people that aren't your spouse, like they don't really see the lows. Like they everyone knows how your career's going when it's going great. Yeah, so when it's low, it's like really hard. I mean, Andrew doesn't like bring it home, yeah, but you still know the vibes, like you're there and you're watching, so like you still know. So it's like trying to keep them happy, but also not talk about it. Yeah, you figure it out on your own.

SPEAKER_04
16:07

Yeah, we also giggle about like how I'm a pitcher's wife and their position pillows. So they're like, it's just our struggles are look a little different sometimes because she'll be like, Sometimes I think Rob had a shitty outing, and I'm like, Well, that wasn't your best. And he's like, I actually felt great. And I'm like, Never mind, I don't know what I was saying. And then when he does, like when he does have a rough outing, I'm like, Oh, I thought you did great. And he's like, I gave up a solo homeowner. So I was like thinking about it. That was so horrible. And I'm like, oh, okay, sorry. So it's just like having to understand where they're at mentally and like having to be there and to support them and also like help them take their mind off baseball. They don't get very many off days, and sometimes you they don't want to do anything on the off days, they just want to relax, but probably just spend time with you guys as well. Yeah, for sure. I think that a lot of that a lot of that comes on to the relationship too, because we're just at home and are like living the life. We're like, hey, we just really want to go in a date night. But then it's like you it's like this this bargain back and forth of like, okay, well, they just also played like the guys last night played a long game and they had scored 22 runs, and it's just like insane constant ebb and flow, ebb and flow. But like my favorite recent like tweet from JB was uh or not tweet, sorry, interview that he did recently. And was like, I need everyone to just chill, everyone just needs to chill the F out. And then I guess and I just love it because I just feel like that's just how they are. They're like, okay, it may not be going our way right now, like they got swept by the Padres, and then they went and won three out of the four. It's like baseball's changes by an inning, by a pitch, by a a hit. And that I think that that's I think that speaks a lot to what they're able to do for you know on the field 162 regular games.

SPEAKER_01
17:38

For sure. And like, but it's been crazy too to be with Jake for however we've been together, 16 years, I think. And like he hasn't always been that everybody just needs to chill the F out guy. Like he has gone through, you know, I like most players, I'm sure, have gone through their mental struggles. And so like I think it's a lot been on him, like his personal, like mental work, but like to actually grow with him too, and to see him become like more of a leader than a veteran has been awesome too.

SPEAKER_03
18:05

And you have to, I feel like, especially in very high-intensive jobs, it doesn't matter what it is, but obviously in this case it applies, like you have to adapt your mindset or you're gonna fall behind. 1000%.

SPEAKER_01
18:15

Yeah, and I feel like I've felt that as a mother too, like becoming like we got here uh with our first baby, like she was born before in the off season, and then we got here, it's a new place, like everything. And I struggled at first because I'm like, we're in a new place and everything, and you just kind of you have to pick yourself up and like you know, get the right mindset to to survive.

SPEAKER_04
18:35

I'm like, I don't mean it that way, but like no, but it is it is I mean, my husband's been injured this entire season and yeah, in and out of Arizona, and I've been solo parenting since February 1st. Yeah, the breakdowns are real, and it's like it's but it's like to my point earlier of like it's nice having friends, like you be you have to put yourself out there and like make friends with girls that just get it and and not be afraid to be like, yeah, I'm struggling, or like, yeah, this totally sucks, or because they're the gonna be the first ones to pick us up. Like just how the guys pick each other up, like they're they're the first to get it over anyone.

SPEAKER_02
19:05

Only people who understand are each other.

SPEAKER_04
19:07

I get so frustrated when you know any family member calls and they're like, What's going on with Rob? I'm like, when he knows, I'll know. And when I know, he'll know. Don't even ask me.

SPEAKER_03
19:15

Yeah, like you can't Google it, don't ask me. We don't have that Arnold on speed dial.

SPEAKER_02
19:19

I don't know what is going on, guys. Honestly, the media will know before I know.

SPEAKER_03
19:24

You're like, oh wow, this is new to me. Yeah, you can't Google it, don't ask me.

unknown
19:29

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03
19:29

But at the same time, how do you, especially the amount of times that you guys have had to move? That has to be, of course, like we already talked about that being an isolating feeling. Like that's really difficult. And having to move, like, no matter if you've moved once or twice or 10 or 12 times. How does finding a new community, how does that work for you? How do you go about doing that?

SPEAKER_04
19:47

I mean, I feel like this is my first. Well, I would say last year, towards the end of play, like when we got into playoffs, I really started putting myself out there, like reaching out to people in the community. We wanted to do playoff parties, and I was like, I think we as wives and girlfriends, we should, you know, people should know who we are and like we should do things, and like or if we do events, like we do it somewhere where like it's local and it's not a chain place. Yeah, um, it supports small businesses. So I think like I started doing that towards the end of playoffs last year and like this year, especially. Anytime we have our nanny and I get free time to myself, I'm like, I'm gonna go check out this place, like Hens Deli next door. Like absolutely insane.

SPEAKER_03
20:23

Insane. Bro, the pickle. If you have you tried the, I don't know if you guys like Dell Pickels, but if you try a lot, pickle bagel, yes, just unreal. So freaking good.

SPEAKER_04
20:33

But I think if you just start doing things, and then I think when you have kids, you almost get yourself out there a little bit more because you have to get out of the house. You gotta go to the zoo and you gotta go to the play places and all these things. And I think I do think it's harder making friends outside of the lifestyle. I don't know if you guys could agree, but like I just feel like it's hard to like level with people or they're they just see like to our point earlier, like, oh, you're a baseball wife. Like, yeah, tell me about that. I'm like, I just want to talk about anything.

SPEAKER_01
21:00

I'm a person too, do you?

SPEAKER_04
21:02

Yes, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01
21:03

And like to that question, like we have to find sometimes our own housing. Like, this team has been great. Like, there's been when we first got traded, a couple people who had been here like texted me saying, like, ask this person, they have you know connections, but like not every team's like that. And you like people just think that you're handed a house or an apartment or whatever it may be.

SPEAKER_04
21:23

So you're you're moving into it. Yeah, you don't know the location, you don't know what the like is it gonna work for the dogs? Is it gonna work for the dogs? Also, you don't know the area too.

SPEAKER_03
21:30

Like, I'm learning about Milwaukee and I've been here two years. I'm like, oh, that's a shitty area. You know, but like you start learning those things, or like maybe this area isn't very suited for what I like to do or like where I like to go. And you kind of learn that as you go, but you don't really have that luxury. Yeah. Yeah. Kind of moving on a whim, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02
21:45

And Milwaukee is like kind of hard to find housing. Yes. Yeah. But like it's hard. Really? Yes.

SPEAKER_04
21:50

Rent rental properties. If you're not, yeah, rental properties are hard so much easier. Yeah. But if you want a house, you have dogs, you want the space. It's just it becomes really, really like Cutthroat of what you can find.

SPEAKER_02
22:02

And a lot of people the first six months is also hard. That's six months.

SPEAKER_04
22:05

Yeah, having to make that charge a lot, which is insane to me. But I get it. It's just definitely hard because you're like, oh, we're already limited on pickings here. And like you usually sign a lease like at the end of season, or you like try to start right looking in January to sign something. So it's like you really only get a couple months of like not paying a double double rent mortgage. Yeah. So tough.

SPEAKER_03
22:24

Yeah. Yeah, that's not ideal. I don't think anybody would really want to do that or sign up for that.

SPEAKER_04
22:28

No, absolutely not. I also like I also giggle because we have a storage unit in Austin because we lived in Austin for a few years. We have a storage unit in Boston because we live in Boston now. And we have stuff stored at my parents' house in Corpus Christi. I'm like, we have stuff all over everywhere. Everywhere. Yeah. Haven't seen my couch in five years, but she's in there somewhere in Austin.

SPEAKER_01
22:48

That's not a cheek. We just moved all our furniture here, and then he's like, I don't know what we're gonna do. We're gonna just sell it all, I guess. Yeah. So that's what we did. Start over here.

SPEAKER_02
22:54

Start over here.

SPEAKER_03
22:54

Blank canvas here.

SPEAKER_02
22:56

We're doing it. So we were in Chicago for five years, and so we bought furniture. We were in a different place every different year. Um, but we bought furniture and then we got traded in the middle of the year last year, so we put it all into a storage, and then I was like, so what do we do with all this? It's across the country. We live in Mississippi. So we just sold it. Yeah. We just sold it, storage wars, take over. Anyone want to do the marketplace? One of my friends actually bought a house and I was like, hey, do you want my storage unit? It's three bedrooms.

SPEAKER_03
23:24

We have literally the storage wars, that's hilarious. Yes, that's right. Storage queens. So then what have been your guys' first impressions of Milwaukee? Obviously, having to travel to a new place in the middle of the season, maybe sometimes, beginning of the season, paying the double rent, that's really tough. But what was your guys' first impressions of Milwaukee?

SPEAKER_01
23:40

Um, I mean, first impression, I apparently dishwashers aren't the most popular. So that was like literally my first impression. Or fenced in washer. Our house had no fenced in yard and no dishwasher. Yeah, no fenced in yard. Like, okay, this Southern California girl is way out of relevant. Um what's going on? No. But past that, after the first day. Yeah. Um, no, I love it. Like being able to just like walk in the neighborhoods and you see different animals. Like, aren't we were in New Berlin? Everyone makes fun of me the way I say it. I don't know. Um Berlin. Okay, thank you. Yeah, you're it was like we were it was deers, bunnies, turkeys, like everything all day, every day. And it was the most fun. I guess it was so fun. Um, and just like everyone is so friendly, like all our neighbors in that neighborhood were so friendly coming to the stadium. Um Bob Kozlowski at the guest services, my favorite human being in the world. Like, shout out, shout out to the show. Shout out.

SPEAKER_04
24:33

I know, like we become really close with like the people that we see every day at the stadium, and like one of our like a section guys is leaving, like moving the water. And we're like, we're like Juan, you can't leave. You can't just leave. You literally attach to everything, but it's like your family, yeah. The stadium, of course. Yeah, to your question of like uh my first impressions on Milwaukee. We came here in 2023 when we were with the pirates, and I feel like what makes or breaks when you go on a road trip with your spouse, or it's like, what can you do in that city? And it's like if it's easier to get to like shopping, bars, all these things. And I remember coming here, I was like, I'm not staying at the Fister or Pfeister.

SPEAKER_05
25:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_04
25:09

Oh we got an Airbnb, and Rob's like, okay, you're crazy. I'm like, I'm Mexican and I believe in that stuff. So we're talking about the haunted fist yeah, right? Okay, allegedly. That away from you. Allegedly. He was like, You're making me pay when the guy they pay for our hotels. I'm like, I don't care. So I was like, I'm not staying there. And then do you? Yes. I was like, absolutely not. And so we I was like uh gorgeous hotel, by the way. Yeah, phenomenal. But you're into like the Titanic vibes. Like, I'm not kidding. It's really nice in there. I just won't stay in there. The vibes are not for me. No, I believe in that spooky stuff a little bit too much.

SPEAKER_03
25:41

Um other time, but that's yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04
25:44

And then I remember being like, Where do what do you go do? Like, again, you have to have a car to get to do things around here, like to get to the mall. And I was like, Oh, like it was like okay. And then we were we signed here as free agents in 2024, and we came here, and I was like, Oh my god, this is like a like I call it, you know, it's a little bit smaller than a version of Chicago, but it's it's better because you can get around easier. The dining here is unreal, and like to her point, the people here are actually really nice. Like you don't have like you know, when you go to Boston and Fenway or Philly, like the those are two of my favorite away series. There's so much to do by the team hotel, but it's like you know the fans are gonna come hot at your home intense and Wrigley, and I I mean my husband was with the Cubs, and I've experienced both sides. And during playoffs last year, I was like, oh my god, I used to say I love you guys so much, but like you guys are so mean.

SPEAKER_03
26:30

It's only I feel like it's only the Cubs brewers, and I grew up in Chicago and area, so like I kind of like both teams. I'm a little controversial like that, but like I feel like they can like each other, but no, those fans are like no nah dude, no, we're not getting along here, no, not at all.

SPEAKER_04
26:44

But it's like you when you've been like and she was with the White Sox, like you go to Chicago here, and you there's just so much to do in Chicago, right? Like it is a great place. Like, we're not all gonna sit here and be like, Chicago sucks. Like, it is really in a phenomenal city, and you can't be uh I've actually never been to the White Sox Stadium, but I've had a lot of time at the Wrigley Field, and it's just you're not gonna, you know, it's an historic stadium, but you don't get what you get here with American Family Field, and it's truly a charming stadium, a charming fan base, like very loyal, even when you're not doing great, like they there's still like a team that's gonna support you and the fan base. I really do love their guys here.

SPEAKER_03
27:19

Yeah, but that is really unique, too, for you both that were living in Chicago previously and then came to Milwaukee because yeah, those are two very similar cities. So, like, what was that like, especially more so being on the south side of the city? Um, at uh oh my gosh, guaranteed rate field. Was it called that then when he broke it?

SPEAKER_02
27:34

Okay, guaranteed rate. Um, I loved Chicago, I loved the city. Like she said, there's so much to do there. I like here that I can drive to the grocery store and just put my groceries in my car and drive to a workout class and like there's a parking lot that I can park in. I love here that the fans like they love the team. They love sports here in general, but like they really love the guys, they love the team. Very die hard here. I feel like that's just all of the Wisconsin sports. They all love them. So true. Yeah, um, I love that so much, but I do miss the shopping in Chicago, but it's only an hour and a half. So I just take a little drive.

SPEAKER_03
28:06

Yeah, just take the Amtrak, yeah.

SPEAKER_02
28:07

You're right, like drive down. Drive down for the day, and that's enough.

SPEAKER_04
28:10

Yeah, yeah. I think for it being a small market team, people like always look to the big market teams, right? You got the Dodgers, the Padres, the Cubs, they're they have loyal diehard fans, and it'll be a one o'clock game and it'll be sold out. But like people really sleep on Milwaukee. We really get a packed house at a 110 game. Yeah, and I think I've really experienced it over the last three years, specifically last season. I could just feel the energy shifting every every time I got closer to playoffs, everyone was really invested. Um, so I I think that is the high biggest highlight about Milwaukee is that it's like sneaky cool here. Yeah, you know, sneaky cool. It is really cool. It's sneaky cool. We live in we live in Bayview this year. We lived downtown last year and that was fun. But living in Bayview, there's just like so many fun restaurants, bars, little cute little wine spots. And so I just think people, if you had a vehicle, you could get around. So I just we actually have the Braves are coming in town this week, and one of the wives like messaged me on Instagram asking for recommendations. I was like, But you do need you do need a do need to be here. Yeah, coming in as an away team.

SPEAKER_02
29:10

Like when we used to come here, I would just drive and I just really didn't know what to do. We were we would stay down here, and I was like, Where what do I go do? It doesn't seem like there's much around. Yeah, but now that we're living here, I'm like, there's so many different neighborhoods, there's so many good restaurants. Like it's a really cool city.

SPEAKER_01
29:24

Well, that's what I love too. Like it's like a town, like you know, I feel like it's not like it is different than Southern California where I grew up, but like it feels like I'm just you know in a neighborhood or whatever, where like we were at the Yankees, and I mean, granted, it was only a year, and we were, you know, you're never sure if you're staying somewhere or whatever. So we were, and I was also pregnant, so I was back and forth, but I was like in and out of a hotel. We were living in and out of a hotel, and then we were in New Jersey, like I have to Uber everywhere. I swear I became an asshole living there. Like an asshole. We're like here, I'm like, everyone's so friendly, I get to just like feel like I'm part of a community. Lauren's one with her surroundings. Oh, yeah, I'm just I'm yelling at taxi cabs in New York, like it's not good. You don't want me there. Here I'm gonna waving at everybody like or hug my grocery legs. Yes.

SPEAKER_04
30:08

It's like the hot, it's like the hot the best parts and the worst parts of being on each team. You're like, ooh, but the Yankees, I would have like a lot of them live in Greenwich, Connecticut. So you're commuting. Yes. Like by train, and you're like, I've got kids. You're not driving. I'm not doing it.

SPEAKER_03
30:19

Oh, that sounds like a nightmare. Somebody doesn't meltdown and you're like, I just want to fucking go.

SPEAKER_04
30:22

And like here, you can literally just pull right up into Amfield and our in our lot, like no traffic. They switch the lights for us to green, red. You're like, oh, they just take good care. Like it's it's truly so and it's a really good family-based organization. They really do a good job of you know making us feel like a priority with the guys, which is great.

SPEAKER_03
30:38

They're wonderful too. And like, as somebody who's previously worked in news and like now works in sports, also, too. Like, they're such a fun organization to work with. They're so like friendly, they're wonderful. Like, there was one time I was working with a photographer, and like one of the people in one of the golf carts was like, Y'all want to ride to the other side of the stadium? So we're like, hell yeah, let's go. But like, they are truly wonderful. Everybody, yeah.

SPEAKER_04
30:59

But that being you can just tell that they want like everyone to feel like like warm and welcome, like and you know, Murph having his kids in every postgame interview. I think that just speaks to how he is. He's the leader of the team, and and we all feel that way when we're around each other. Like we always say, like, their kids are our kids. Like, you know, Chris Anderson, Grant Anderson's wife, she'll call and she's like, How are my kids doing? Like, we consider all of each other's kids, you know, our kids. We just all love each other so much. So it's it's definitely really, really cool. We love it here.

SPEAKER_03
31:28

So then what we're I know that you guys were talking about, you know, obviously living in Bayview, living downtown, even checking out the city when you were just visiting. Um, so that being said, what are some of the favorite spots that you guys have gone to, whether it's bars, restaurants, um, even activities like festivals? Because obviously, Milwaukee, the city of festivals.

SPEAKER_00
31:45

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SPEAKER_01
32:26

I'm looking for a rock with my two children.

SPEAKER_03
32:28

Um you go to New Berlin and you see all the animals. Let's do the wild turkey. Different phases of life sometimes.

SPEAKER_04
32:39

And that's totally fine. We love that too. Yeah. She does venture out sometimes. Yes. I would be vegan. I would think that'll go. Like she texts me one day, she was like, I'm at Blue Hour. If I lived here closer, if I didn't have to like wrangle the kids all the time, I would come here all the time. But I I think for me, coffee, it's like Blue Hour, Vendetta are like my two favorite spots. Um, and Blue Hour is like relatively new. Um, but they just the coffee's unreal. Same with vendetta, like you can taste the actual espresso, and I love it. Um, if we're talking like other like dining spots, um we just went to room service the other night. Unreal. It was so good. So, so good. Uh we went to So were you wearing your talking shin on me? Yep. That was pretty. Were your ears pretty? Um Tenudas in Baby was really good. Cerella's or that's a phenomenal spot. That's really good. Um, we're all diehard carnivore fans. Yes.

SPEAKER_02
33:32

Usually that's where everyone is at the off the page. You go in, you see the whole table.

SPEAKER_04
33:38

I've seen people doing like carnivore. Yeah, great steak. Um, and then I love Hens Deli's phenomenal. Like we just talked about that. Great sandwich. I'm a sandwich fiend. Um I should have just told you, like, hey, the studio is right by the screen. I would have known it exactly. Um I know. I was recently telling them about this Italian supermarket that's um, I can't remember what side, but it's like going Brady. Street area. Um Gloriosos. Gloriosos, yeah. You live right over there.

SPEAKER_01
34:05

Wait, isn't that the lady who did the pasta class a couple years ago? I don't know. Maybe I think so.

SPEAKER_04
34:09

But it's like on real. Like you can get a sandwich in there, you get gelato, you can get coffee. The gelatos and fresh made pasta, pasta sauces, fresh made like on real. Um, but uh I love to eat. I'm a big back. I just love every day.

SPEAKER_02
34:21

We're in Wawatosa and we love Bartellotta. It's like the Italian place that changes their menu. We go there all the time. It is so good.

SPEAKER_03
34:29

I just heard about that for the first time.

SPEAKER_02
34:31

And the patio is so cute. We love it there. And then Lef's is like a sports bar. Yes. We love Andrew literally orders from there daily when Uber Eats. Every single day, that's what he orders. After games, we'll go there. And we've had people come up and be like, You're in, weren't you just playing a game? And he's just like, Yeah. It just ended an hour ago. We're like, we're already sitting there eating. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01
34:54

Meanwhile, Jake and I were in Oak Creek this year, and we just like go to Chick-fil-A with the kids, and kids are like, wait a minute, are you Jake Bowers?

SPEAKER_05
35:01

Yeah, yep, yeah. Can't go wrong.

SPEAKER_04
35:04

Can't go wrong though. Um, Drafton Cove is a new burger spot, though. We went today. It was so good. Unreal. I I like posted a TikTok about everyone's like, no, you need to go to Archie's flat top. I'm like, okay, guys, this was I just said this was my first burger spot in Milwaukee, and it was like, it honestly tasted like in and out to me. I'm an in-and-out fiend.

SPEAKER_01
35:21

Like me so when I was like nearly get yourself when I was pregnant, I was housing double double every day.

SPEAKER_04
35:29

And that's that should have been my first second. It was for the baby, dude. Yes, it was for the baby. Yeah, but like I felt that way when I went into Draft and Co. I was like, wait, this is unreal. So cute. So cute in there. Good drinks. They all make they make them like fresh and then have them on draft. Oh, fun.

SPEAKER_03
35:43

Yeah, really fun spot. It's such a small spot, too. Like you look at it, I'm pretty sure they were talking about it being a Starbucks like years ago, like a few years ago. Yeah, they just opened it. It's naked for so long. It's new.

SPEAKER_04
35:54

They just opened it in January. So good. Yeah. What's another one? Calderon Club.

SPEAKER_02
35:58

Oh, Calderon Club. Yeah, we like it.

SPEAKER_04
35:59

Everyone talks about that one. Harbor House. Everyone loves Harbor House. Can't go wrong. Wiggle room. Oh yeah, wiggle room. Oh, for bars everything? Wiggle room. We all love the Journeyman rooftop, the outsider. Yeah. That's a great one. Always a good spot. I actually still have not yet to experience Tiki Bar. Yes, same. Same. Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03
36:19

When I tell you, me and my friends basically live at Tiki. Oh. It's always if you're ever there, you might see me. It's like a five-minute walk from my apartment. We're like, just hit me up. Like, all right, let's get it.

SPEAKER_04
36:29

Her and I were just saying for playoffs, it would be really fun, like day two of playoffs, if we rented a couple party buses and we tailgated all of the dive bars. Yeah. Because like none of us have experienced dive bars because a lot of our days look like you know getting ready to go to a game, and then we're just at the stadium and we're like, okay, we'll wait. We have to do it right in this year. Like, we need to go party with the fans.

SPEAKER_02
36:48

Yeah, and I like how they have the buses that take everyone to the field. That's so fun. I love that.

SPEAKER_03
36:53

Yeah, Zad's is very specific. Zad's is actually over by here. Have you guys heard of it? Dude, it is like a like a bike or dive bar. Open at what is it, 6 or 5 a.m.? Yeah. And they have a sticker. So obviously, like there's the the dive bar. Um, what's the one? It's like I close what was it? Wolski's. Wolskis. I close Wolski's if you guys have seen that sticker. That one is like you close it down, you close the pa place down, and then you get a sticker. Oh, okay. But this one is the opposite. It's like you open up Open it and you get a sticker. Yeah. So bad. Yeah, we were talking. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04
37:20

Someone said McGoose or Oh, yeah, McGoose.

SPEAKER_03
37:22

Magoose on the Mound is really good. My parents always go to we actually went to a brewer's game a couple weekends ago. Yeah. A lot of fun. Um, whatever one went extra innings. I don't even remember who we were playing. When we did the walk-off? Yes. Yeah? Yep. Yep. It was a great game. Love it.

SPEAKER_04
37:35

Um, yeah, we went to the dive bars. That's what we we said. We like we obviously like have our spots, but I'm like, we really need to like do it right this year.

SPEAKER_03
37:42

Like, Wisconsin is a dive bar. You may as well call Wisconsin the die bar capital. This is your guys' coming to Jesus moment to say we're gonna do it all day. They love to drink here, and I'm not I'm a huge fan. Is that an adjustment? Is that like a cultural adjustment you guys had to come to? Is like, oh yeah, this state drinks. No, being from the south, yeah, no, we're probably in the south every day.

SPEAKER_04
38:02

Um I feel like yeah, in Texas, like I could my family, they love, they love their beer, um Mexican beers. Uh, so I feel like I grew up around it. Um so I feel like no, I'm not, I'm not I've seen it my whole life, whether it was like in high school, college, yeah, college was a big one.

SPEAKER_02
38:17

At allness, I mean game days, everyone's up at 8 a.m. Yeah, I'm already in the grove.

SPEAKER_04
38:22

Going to AM. I didn't go to AM, but I used to go, a lot of my friends went to AM and we would go to college station on the weekends, and it was like, yeah, it I feel like it's not some. I feel like maybe Callie might be a little bit more. Yeah, no, but I'm maybe a little crunchy gal, so like a crunchy mom over here. That might be more for like the you know the the grass, okay. You know, it's different. Different over there. But we love it.

SPEAKER_01
38:43

We love it. It's all different. She's always down.

SPEAKER_04
38:46

I'm always down for things.

unknown
38:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_04
38:48

We actually took shots yesterday after our interview. What's the go-to shot then? Ooh, for me. Peanut butter one. Peanut butter woman. Screw all the stadiums. Like a chocolate cup. Yeah. Yes. It was a dessert cart. That goes around the cart that floats around it. Stop. If we're talking about the stadium, that if we're talking about outside of the stadium, probably like a green tea shot with tequila. I'm a tequila drinker. So Mexican candy shot. I don't know if y'all have ever heard of those. Those are really she loves. We love tahine. Yeah. It's basically a spicy watermelon shot with tequila, and then they they put the rim with tahine. It's so good. That sounds amazing. Any spicy jerk. Anytime you're in Texas, you can make them at anywhere.

SPEAKER_03
39:28

Yeah. Amazing. You guys have to go to Tiki then. Like, I mean, that is one of the strongest margaritas. Like, margarita, you're on your ass or like one paloma. No, Sal Felix bar.

SPEAKER_04
39:37

Sal Freelix girlfriend and I were actually, she was like, we still haven't done Tiki Bar.

SPEAKER_03
39:40

I'm like, no, we have to do it before the season's. It's the best. It's the best. Um, as far as that goes, um, I know that you guys were talking a little bit about community involvement as well. And I know Natalie, like, we were just talking before this. You even provided one of the auction items for Sweat for Strays that um I helped put on. I was one of the organizers for, and um, along with Milwaukee Uncut, and we had a lot of awesome auction items that we were able to auction off and raise, I believe it was more than $3,000 altogether for Matic. So um Milwaukee area domestic care and control. So awesome. Um yeah, so it was a really great event, but like obviously you guys were a huge part of it, even if you didn't know it, you know, and like that was really awesome. So, in what ways you talked about it a little bit before we got on the mics, but um you know how why do you feel like it's so important also to have, you know, use the platform that you guys do have because you guys that does matter giving back to the community.

SPEAKER_04
40:29

I think within the the Brewers organization, we do um they set up things for us that we're able to do to get back to the communities um at the beginning of the year. We were working with uh spouses of um veterans or like uh people that are also deployed, um, and that was really, really cool. I felt like you know, we're not doing the same struggles as them, but we we live a life where you're not with your spouse all the time, and so it was just nice to like get to sit with them. Actually, we were out here, the but the nail bar right here. Yeah. We sat with him, got pedicures, and just talked about that. So that was cool. They we do a lot with like the Humane Society. We have our auction, baseball auction coming up this Saturday. Um shout out, play it. Yeah, I did a TV interview yesterday and did absolutely awful you guys. Um but we we the guys are signing over like it signed over 900 baseballs. Yeah, and they're a mystery bag. In a mystery bag. Essentially, you come and you donate $50. You actually get a free baseball. And you get it, you get a free baseball. Um and they open it in front of you, and it's actually really fun. Like the fans get so excited. They sell they last year it sold out in 10 minutes. 10 minutes. It was insane.

SPEAKER_01
41:32

Like you, if you weren't there pre-game, you weren't getting it.

SPEAKER_04
41:34

And all that goes back to the brewer's nonprofit organization. Um, Lexi and her husband do a lot of great stuff on their own to give back to the community. I'll let her speak on that. But please they do stuff on.

SPEAKER_02
41:44

We have a player program that we actually started in Chicago called Going Going Vaughn, and it's mostly with children, mostly with we did a lot of domestic violence stuff, and then we mostly like to do things with kids in foster care. Um, so we usually do something like once a month, and we like to do like interactive things or he gets to meet them, we'll host them at the field, they'll go to batting practice. We just went to a camp where they reunite siblings and we had like a carnival night with them. So we do a lot of that, and then whatever the brewers put on for us, we always want to do too. Of course.

SPEAKER_01
42:14

Yeah, what was the one we did um with the rooms? Oh, um I can't. Not the special spaces. We've done that a few times. Like so.

SPEAKER_02
42:21

You get to redo a room for a kid that has cancer. Um, we've done a few things with Diggs with Dignity in Chicago too. We love them. So it's fun.

SPEAKER_03
42:30

Yeah, how did you guys come to come up with Going Going Vaughn?

SPEAKER_02
42:34

So we had always said we wanted to use that, and then when we were getting married, people started using that as like a wedding thing for us on Twitter. Oh, hashtag. At that point, we had already had it in a like that's what we were gonna do our player player program as. I love it. And then everyone started using it, and we were like, whatever, we still will.

SPEAKER_03
42:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02
42:51

So I love the story.

SPEAKER_03
42:53

That's awesome. Is there any particular um, you know, why did you decide that specific? There's so many different causes that you can decide to help out with. Um, how did you?

SPEAKER_02
43:02

I feel like we both feel like there are so many great nonprofits, so many great charities. Uh, we just both felt like there's not as many people that are advocating for kids in foster care, and like they really have nobody advocating for them. They don't have families usually, or you know, things like that. So we just wanted to do more with it.

SPEAKER_03
43:22

An area like a blind spot. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02
43:25

Just like something that a lot of people don't do.

SPEAKER_03
43:27

Yeah. Well, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02
43:28

And we still do stuff with the teams that are other things, but yeah.

SPEAKER_04
43:32

Within different teams, like organ, you players can choose to uh do like their own charity work too. But yeah, like for the special spaces, like she asked if any of us wanted to help, and all of us will pitch in and 'cause a lot of stuff Andrew can't go to, so we'll I'll just like ask the girls if anybody wants to do it.

SPEAKER_02
43:48

But that's so fun. He loves to get to do it too. So we try to do stuff on off days just to be able to give back.

SPEAKER_03
43:53

That actually is really good too for the communities that are giving you guys so much too. Such a cool opportunity.

SPEAKER_01
43:58

Yeah, and like I think. Jake and I have been so busy with like our own thing, like obviously based on a lot and like the kids, but prior to that I was teaching, so it was like we always wanted to be able to give back, but it was like we couldn't ever find time together to like actually plan things out. And so I think coming here, it's been so awesome that they're so like invested in the community, invested in the community and like want like they give us opportunities to you know without having to do the back end work. Like it's just nice they say, Hey, we're doing this, can you volunteer? And I'm like, Absolutely, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, so it's been a usually have something coming on, like going on like once a month.

SPEAKER_03
44:33

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01
44:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03
44:34

Do you guys all I know that you were just talking about being a teacher too, but obviously, in addition to volunteering and being able to support your family and whatnot, do you still have your own careers as well?

SPEAKER_01
44:42

Uh mine's on a hiatus. Jake hates that I have, you know, half hour garages teacher things, but one of these days I'll get back there.

SPEAKER_03
44:49

It's still important and there's always gonna be an opening for a teacher. Exactly. Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_01
44:53

One of these days I'll be back.

SPEAKER_03
44:54

What grade were you?

SPEAKER_01
44:55

Uh first and second is my little corner.

SPEAKER_03
44:58

One of my best friends was a first grade and second grade teacher as well. I love it. Yeah. It's so fun. It's such a fun age. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01
45:03

Oh yeah. The imagination is crazy there.

SPEAKER_03
45:06

Oh, I can only imagine. Yeah, literally. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04
45:08

Natalie, what about you? Um, not working full-time right now, stay-at-home mom, but I used to do social media marketing for a long time. Um and I kind of just do like fun social stuff every year now and again. I also have like my own goal is to have like my own media company where start like helping people in the baseball world um do PR stuff and things like that. Um I'm like, yeah, I'm trying to be humble, but yeah, that's my goal. I I I would love to, you know, once Rob's done playing, whenever he chooses, have our own little agency where we help guys, you know, whether it's charity stuff or doing any sort of PR things. Like, that's that's the goal. I feel like he's been doing it for so long. I'm like, you're so welcome. And he's just a really good teammate. Like everyone loves him, and he's a good people person. So that's kind of our our goal once he's done playing, but we'll see. We'll see what happens. Yeah, it's so fun.

SPEAKER_02
45:58

I'm not working. I did taxes for a few years, and so busy season was really hard.

SPEAKER_04
46:04

Our smart cookies are.

SPEAKER_02
46:09

That's when we moved to spring training. That's then when we move to the season. So and then when he gets off date, he's like, So can we hang out? And I'm like, I have to work 14 hours. I'm really, really stressed and I want to pull my hair out that we're gonna do it.

SPEAKER_04
46:22

So yeah, so I think sometimes it's hard to have a career sometimes like you get FOMO of like not being with your spouse or like not being at the games, or like oh yeah, or when everyone else is around, I'm like, I want to come hang out. Yeah, when when we were with the Cubs, that's who Rob was drafted by, and when he was in his rookie seasons with them in 16, 17, and 18. I I will I was working, I was right out of college, and I remember like being so upset because I just wasn't there for everything. And I remember talking to the veteran girls about it, and they were like, This is whenever you choose to not work, that's great. But like, know that you're not making a mistake because this is such a small chapter of y'all's lives, and it's gonna end one day. So your career, you can always start a career at 40. You can always start a career. If your career's not done, it's just taking a little break at like a different point, like a little hiatus. And we're never gonna get these moments back. Like time is so fleeting in the baseball world, you it could end, and you just wish that you would have spent more time being there with your spouse. And like, not everyone has that luxury, and we know that. But if you do have that luxury, you're like, why not? Like, let's let's give it all we got.

SPEAKER_03
47:20

The average person, too, I feel like changes their career, changes their trajectory multiple times in the course of their life. Yeah, and you guys are so like that's such an awesome position to be able to be in. Yeah. We also we all have your significant other in those ways, too.

SPEAKER_04
47:33

We also always joke, like, our job title is like being a manager, assistant. We can move you. Uh like we could, we really have like if we had a resume, it would be a legit resume. Yes. Um stacked resume. Absolutely. So I think like, yeah, we we have our our just the strong parts about being a baseball. I think definitely, if we ever chose to go back into working, we would absolutely kill it in whatever we decided. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03
47:59

You guys have like a drive like no other for sure. No, it was like hard for me to quit.

SPEAKER_01
48:03

Like my mom drove into me, like, you need your own career, you need your own identity. And then it was like I was teaching, but and everyone kind of thinks like, oh, teaching and baseball, like you kind of go opposite seasons, so it's perfect for each other, but it was like, no, because then we never saw each other. Like, and I was in the classroom from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. And he's like, yeah, and so I remember we got married, and then he went to spring training after a month, and then I went and visited him for like less than 48 hours, so I could be back in the classroom, and he finally was like, Hey, how about you like quit? Yeah, quit, take a hiatus after this year. It was scary. I was like, I don't want to give up my identity and my career, and then you know, and then he kind of thought it was like a hiatus and maybe figure out how to, you know, dive into fitness because that's my other passion. And then we got pregnant, and now here we are.

SPEAKER_04
48:49

I think that's the one of the other biggest sacrifices is like loss of identity. Yeah. Um I think that ebbs and flows. Like, you there's so many moments where I'm like, I know who I am, and like this is this is you're so confident in that. And then there's times where you're like, what the heck am I doing? And like, I'm just a baseball wife, I'm just doing this, and like, but we you really like have sometimes have to take a step back and be like, I'm more than that. But it's a huge, huge identity loss when you choose to stop working and follow your spouse.

SPEAKER_03
49:15

That has to be so hard. It's like I'm so and so's wife. Like, I feel like that's what people do people ever recognize you and you're like, oh, you're so and so's wife. Yeah. That happens. I mean here and there. Yeah, at the stadium mostly. Yeah, stadium, yeah, mostly.

SPEAKER_04
49:27

I've gotten it at Blue Hour Cat, which is like interesting. Yeah. Also, that's like such a yeah, it's literally such a new cafe, too. I like I think the the people at the front have become like really cool with them. They're like they're awesome. They're like, You posted a TikTok about us, and like we've had like five. I think um Bryce Harper came in and he was like, they didn't know who Bryce Harper was, and everyone was like pounding him for signatures. Oh my gosh. And um, and all of them were like just joking with him, and they were like, I don't know who this guy is. And they were like making jokes like, Oh, are you playing a game today for the brewers? He was like, No, I'm with the Philly. Um, but it's like I feel like I get recognized in those ways because I like post a lot about what I'm doing in the city and like where I'm new places I'm trying out. But I sometimes people will be like, Oh, Rob Z's wife, but it's very rare, like not very often. I feel like when we were with the Cubs, it was a little bit more frequent. You would we would get recognized out and about, especially during the 2016, everyone was just obsessed with the players. Oh, yeah, 2016.

SPEAKER_02
50:19

I feel like here in Milwaukee, everyone loves a team. So a lot of times, we'll if we're out, the guys will get recognized. Yeah, the guys definitely get recognized.

SPEAKER_04
50:27

Like at Summerfest, they all went to the conference. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03
50:29

Oh wait, that's so fun. Yeah, it was fun. Oh, yeah. Dude, Summerfest is the best. I know. Yeah, it's my favorite. Yeah, it's who'd you see? Uh Ed Sherry. Yeah, we saw amazing Tuesday. Cody Johnson.

SPEAKER_04
50:40

Oh, Cody Johnson. Cody Johnson and what's that other country? Um, it's like we were just there for the vibe. Not we didn't really attend. Yeah, it was just we're girls for Garth, but we don't know a song.

SPEAKER_03
50:52

So, did you ever go to Um Guillapalooza when you were in Chicago? Yes. I did not.

SPEAKER_04
50:56

Different vibe. Very different vibe.

SPEAKER_03
50:59

Yeah, completely different.

SPEAKER_02
51:00

Very, but I wanted to go this year.

SPEAKER_04
51:01

We like really.

SPEAKER_03
51:09

It'll always be there.

SPEAKER_04
51:10

It'll always be the same.

SPEAKER_03
51:12

Yeah, that is true. Summerfest is also like similar, but it's also more family friendly. Like Lollapalooza, you're kind of like, yeah, oh, you're gonna follow the crowd. You're gonna like the full big festival. Yeah, it's you're gonna get lost at Paris. You're if you're crazy up in there, but yeah, yeah. Um, so then as far as it goes for game days, what is your guys' game day routine?

SPEAKER_01
51:33

Or is there one me as a mom of two? It's get there before like the third inning if I can. Like we're try not to miss the homers.

SPEAKER_04
51:41

Yeah. Uh for us, like when my husband used to be a starting pitcher, uh, you could just tell the nerves were there. I think when you're a starting pitcher, you have more time to think about your next outing, versus now him being a bullpen pitcher, you have to be ready the next day almost always. So when he was a starting pitcher, it was like he didn't, he wouldn't eat breakfast because he was so sick. And I'm like, well, we gotta eat, I'm hungry. Um, but it was always he always had to get his coffee right before the field. And then after that, I had so much free time on my hands to do whatever I wanted. That was before kids. Now game day routines kind of just look like, yeah, the kids, you get up in. You usually, you usually like they're sleeping until about like 11 a.m. So the kids' routine, my my son gets up at 7 a.m. on the dot. So like I'm I've already lived a whole life by the time my husband's like barely getting out of bed. Um and then we usually like go get lunch or something really quick, and then he's off to the field, and then we're like scrambling those last few hours before we gotta get to the game. I have a full-time nanny, so my I have a little bit more like um time to myself, which which is really, really nice. We found a nanny here. So we usually are at the games like every other day. If he was like normal and healthy this year, like we're there every other day, but he's not healthy this year, so I'm still there supporting being there with the girls and all that stuff, which has been really fun. But and they also provide child care at the at the stadium. Yeah, so that's so we have our daycare teachers downstairs, and that's also nice to like we can drop the kids off even if I don't have my nanny. I'm like, and I am running late those days, usually when I don't have my nanny teachers, like running with struggling to be struggling to get ready to circus, um, especially when you have toddlers, but you are able to drop them off and like you know that they're like safe and good and you can go let loose up a little bit in this dance. It's nice.

SPEAKER_02
53:18

See, Andrew like can't sleep in, so he's up every morning before nine. That's so nice, has his coffee, watching fishing videos on YouTube. We he does not eat. Lex he sleeps in, actually. Yeah, it's like opposite. If it is a day game, I sleep in because our dog, he'll get up with the dogs. And then if it's a night game, then I get up with the dog at 7:30 and he gets up at nine. So we'll be like, no, he's not sleeping in that much later, but um, he just sits on the couch. He doesn't eat at our house. I don't buy groceries for him. There's literally no point because he won't eat breakfast. He's gonna eat, he's gonna get to the field. And eat at the field. Probably one of the first people there, so he's gonna eat at the field. Yeah. I don't know what he does, all kinds of stuff when he's there. I usually go and work out and kind of vibe for the rest of the day until I need to get ready to go to the game. Until she's kissing one of us, like, what is everyone doing? I'm like, what are y'all doing? I'm so doing something.

SPEAKER_04
54:08

Yeah, just sitting here. She was like, It's so long to the game. What are you doing? I'm gonna go get a blowout. She was like, fun. I think I'm gonna take a nap. Okay. Our kids are gonna nap, and I'm like, yeah, I'll sit here. A lot of a lot of us do have kids on this team, which is all of us similar in age, which is really nice. Yeah. Um, but I would say every day is pretty. We we're working around the guys, like, how tired are they? Was it a late game? Do they have a day game? Is it day game into a night game? Like I think a lot of it's just a lot of that, but yeah, I love that Andrew gets up really roughly a lot of mom.

SPEAKER_02
54:39

Andrew has to have at least an hour and a half sitting on the couch watching fishing videos and drinking his coffee before you're even allowed to speak to him.

SPEAKER_04
54:45

What a peaceful man.

SPEAKER_02
54:46

Yeah. It's a lot of people.

SPEAKER_04
54:51

Okay. No, Rob gets up and he's like cockatoo hair, and he's like, Where are my clothes?

SPEAKER_02
54:56

Oh yeah. We also live next to the river. Toby's not watching a fishing video. He just takes his pole and goes and fishes.

SPEAKER_03
55:02

He's like a cat, just like watching out the window. He's with nature.

SPEAKER_02
55:05

Yeah, he doesn't need much at all.

SPEAKER_04
55:08

I laugh, we always laugh that he's from Southern California because like when we met them, I was like, he's a Mississippi. Southern California, but yeah, he is not acting like away from Cali. Like he really's fully picked up my words. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03
55:19

Y'all, calling it a buggy, like everything he says. Great word. I pick up y'all. Yeah. I'm just I'm from the Midwest, but I just think it's Geneva accent.

SPEAKER_02
55:27

And I'm like, okay, well. You've been here for like a year and a half.

SPEAKER_03
55:32

Like you want to be me, I get it. Yeah. What have been some of your most fun, or like I some of the most funny or crazy player, or not player? What would have been some of the craziest interactions you guys have had with fans, or maybe even not just fans, but actually at the stadium itself.

SPEAKER_04
55:48

Rob and I were actually just laughing about this one interaction we had last year when we went to Philly. One of my favorite road trips is Philly. And I was so nauseous before a game. My son was like probably eight months old at the time, and he was like, I'll have the trainers bring me some medicine. Like it was like anti acids or something to the dugout, or like to the bullpen, just meet me out there before the game. And I'm like walking, you see the Philly fans just like yelling at him, like, you fucking suck. I hope you guys get your shit kicked in. And I walk up and they're like, Oh, is this your wife and kid? And Rob's like, yeah. And he was like, I didn't mean it. I didn't mean what I said. Actually, he's like, actually, I'll grab that medicine for you. Like, don't even, don't even stress yourself out. And I was like, Fake that's great. But like they're so I love going to places where fans are like so die hard, like in it, Fenway. Uh um Dodger, okay, like love, hate Dodger Stadium. Yeah. The fans there are aggressive. Like, oh yeah, really. Um, I feel like you get probably the worst interactions at Dodger Stadium. Philly's pretty bad too. I feel like I've had great interactions at Philly. I've never had any that's that one anywhere. I've apologized. Um, I've I've gotten into it a couple I got into it with Cubs fans last year.

SPEAKER_03
56:53

The tables have turned. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04
56:55

They were like yelling at me, and I was like, oh. And I like turn around and sort of cuss. I don't know, I will be the wife to say something. I'm not afraid. I'm like, you're sitting in the family section, have some class.

SPEAKER_05
57:03

Like, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04
57:04

But I definitely and Dodger Stadium, I was like cussing at some. I just don't, I don't put up with it. I'm like, okay, we're home. Give me margaritas. I'm like, okay, I know we're gonna back there. And she was sitting next to me and she was just facing forward, like sending me in her stadium.

SPEAKER_02
57:19

I'm like, I'm like, Angel get on to me at all.

SPEAKER_04
57:22

But I think that's I think I have a a problem where I just don't shut up. Like I will say something. So like I think my my funniest interactions is that I don't, I will turn around and say something. Or like I love being with the people that are like yelling and getting into it. We were actually just talking about doing a bleacher day when we play when we play baseball here in like a couple weeks. I'm like, we have to do bleachers, and they're like, Well, we're gonna be getting into a fight. I said, Right, absolutely. Right.

SPEAKER_03
57:44

That's just like people will talk more shit in the end. And they're like, but we can't wear we can't wear Bruce Girl, like we're gonna be rooting for the Bruce.

SPEAKER_04
57:51

It's like September baseball, which is like the best time of the year.

SPEAKER_03
57:54

Like super neutral. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04
57:56

I feel like other than that, I thought other than that, it's very positive interactions. Like people are just happy to be there.

SPEAKER_01
58:00

I don't know if you've had any bad interactions, like crazy, weird, funny interactions with fans. No, I remember our first year, Jake. We were playoffs, and Jake hit like the go-ahead home run, and some guys recognized me as his wife, and they were like all over Snapchat, like sending, they're like, Can we take a picture together? Like sending videos to all their friends. I'm like, all right, sure. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02
58:21

I've had people like see me with his name and they're like, oh my god, I love him, like things like that. Just him wearing it.

SPEAKER_04
58:26

But yeah, nothing crazy happened. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03
58:29

I'm just a certified attracting them, attracting the crazy. Yeah, I love the crazy. Oh, that's awesome. Do you guys have any um, I guess, fighting words for the rest of the season or any words of wisdom?

SPEAKER_02
58:42

I'm manifesting. I've just been telling everyone we're going to the World Series. Yes, we're going. It's not even a question. We're just gonna go.

SPEAKER_04
58:49

They all we when Rob was with the Cubs in 2016, it was like when when the boys are vibing and the girls are vibing, the fans are vibing. We are destined for great things. And last year was just like we were on the cusp of it of greatness. Yeah. And they're already an amazing team, but this year you you can just feel a little bit like okay, we gotta do it this year.

SPEAKER_01
59:08

If anybody can do it.

SPEAKER_04
59:09

If anybody can do it, we can. There's no reason we're not the best team in baseball every year. Yeah. And we're still the number one baseball team right now. So it's like I also tell people baseball's a long season, so you know, give us some grace. Yeah, give the guys some grace. Like, we're not gonna have our best. Everybody needs a minute, yeah. Just let us clinch. And then from there we'll coast and like have a good, well, not coast, but like we'll just enjoy and have a good time. But I'm I'm really excited for what's too. We've always said we're just ready for playoffs. We're just like, can we fast forward clench and be in playoffs already? We're just ready for those vibes and atmospheres. We're already talking about playoff parties. Oh yeah. Playoff playoff games too. Like, I can't eat all day. I feel sick. I'm not even playing. I'm like so stressed. I'm like, dude, I can't eat anything. You honestly can probably see where the family section is. When we were facing the Cubs last year, we had like my Bluetooth microphones and we were like, Yes, we're like, I'm jumping! We're like enjoy I 94 losers. And the guy came up, he's like, uh are these wives? And they're like, Yes, those are the wives. But like, we just we're really we're as invested as the fans are, and I think some people think that we're not, maybe not here in Milwaukee, but just a lot of in sports, they're like, Oh, it's just another day for them. No, but like we are so invested as much as you guys are, and we want this team to win it for Milwaukee as much as you guys do, if not a little bit more. Our husband's our husband's careers, yeah, they're all there, you know, they're out there grinding. It's a huge deal. And when you have the city behind you, I think that's all that matters.

SPEAKER_02
1:00:29

So we have a really good group. Everyone has so much fun together, the guys, the girls, so it's like we have a really good group to win it.

SPEAKER_04
1:00:36

Nobody has ego here. Yeah, yeah. That's the cool thing. You don't have like guys that are, you know, we obviously have big names on our team, but there are some teams you go to, and it's like it you can feel like, oh, those are those are real famous baseball players. Um, and there's just a there's like the ego is there, the attitude is there. Yeah, here it's just like we're all right.

SPEAKER_02
1:00:55

Everyone just wants to have fun together and win baseball games.

SPEAKER_03
1:00:58

Yep. So simple, but that's awesome. You guys are wonderful. Seriously, thank you guys for coming on Milwaukee on Cutting Things. Such a pleasure to have you, and thank you truly for like pulling the curtain behind it a little bit, like and just like allowing us into your guys' life that is so unique and has to be really difficult. But you guys have you know great heads on your shoulders and a great representation for Milwaukee and for our team. Thank you so much for the biggest. Thank you. It was so much fun.

SPEAKER_00
1:01:23

Before signing off, just want to thank our partners for making Milwaukee on cut possible. Annex wealth management. Know the difference Nicolay Law, the Midwest Law Firm, and Rink Wisconsin and Bleed Beverage Company.