513: A blast from the Past | Chicago Cubs Tony Campana & Coach Mayden

0:00I got Tony Coppang, yeah. Get it right. You got it right. All right. How are we doing? I'm doing all right. How are you? We're taking all youngsters behind the scenes to find out what it's like being in the big leagues. You're the center field of further curves. What does it take place in a field for the curves? I mean, it's a dream come true, but I mean, you, uh, it takes a lot of hard work. I mean, it's something that I've been working for since I was a little kid. I mean, I came up. It's been my dream since I was a little guy, and it's what I wanted to do. So, I mean, I've worked hard, put a lot of hours in. Thank you. You know, I used to coach College Ball, and I scoured it for five major league teams. I've always told my guys that scouts look for the two of us. Billy, hit, run, hit for power with throwing field. Now, you're a little guy, now come on. What, what, what do you, uh, look at how you got some wheels? Uh, that's my biggest one. I mean, I can run, I can run a little bit. I think I can pick them up and put them down as good as anybody there is, I think. And, uh, I mean, I've shown that I can hit a little bit too. I mean, that's why, that's why you get here.

1:00So, what you running at 60? Um, my best time in the 60 is a 62. So, that's for the fast. That's, that's moving a little bit. You need to eat it, I can be ageing right here like that. What about, uh, hit? I mean, you got to be a slap hitter, power hitter, what kind of hitter? I'm definitely not a power hitter. I mean, I'm not a guy that's going to drive the ball out of the field. So, I mean, I don't like going myself a slap hitter, but I guess it's kind of what I am. I try to slap the ball everywhere on the field, kind of put it anywhere and, uh, hit the ball where it's pitched and, and wherever it goes, then run. So, it's like being a Chicago curb, you know, people coming in from all over the city, the cars, but. Yeah, the best, the best thing about it, I mean, the greatest fans in the world. I mean, and they're all over the place. Everywhere we go, the Cubs fans travel pretty well and, uh, and yeah, so you go out in the West Coast, there's Cubs fans there, you go on the East Coast, there's Cubs fans there too. So, it's, it's pretty unbelievable. I mean, your journey to the Bigelies, I know you didn't have some embarrassing moments. What's one of those embarrassing moments for Tony and the Bigelies?

2:02In the Bigelies, I mean, I've had, I've had some times where, uh, I like, like on the field, had some embarrassing things, but my thing was I like to wear my, my hat a little bit slanted and, and Kerry Wood didn't like that, so one day he decided to cut the bill off my hats, and I had to wear it like that for BP, so that's probably the most embarrassing. Well, you know, I had, uh, Wheel Arm in a couple weeks though, he was selling about some wine, dims of stories. So, I'm like, come on over here. What is Ryan Diff's like? Oh, he's, he's probably the most funny guy I've ever met. He, he has the best Harry, Kerry, uh, impersonation of anyone I've ever seen, I've ever heard, and uh, yeah, he just, he's really good at keeping guys loose, and uh, he never lets it get too tense in there. You haven't had to kind of jacked up his spring training yet, Abby, I heard about this story. No, I haven't, that hasn't happened to me yet, so. Okay, so when you're in the Bigelies and you guys on the road, I mean, what is the family atmosphere like among you guys? I mean, yeah, I mean, you're around each other more than you're around your family, so I mean, we're a real close-knit group of guys. I mean, we're gonna have each other's backs no matter what, and I mean, that's what a team is, so I mean, yeah, that's how it is.

3:05You're a family, and that's what we're talking about. You're tired of looking at each other sometimes, too? Yeah, sometimes you can get like that. I mean, all families have a little bigger and that goes on every once in a while, so I mean, that'll happen, but. For the most part, we got each other's back all the time. This is every kid's dream of playing in the Bigelies. You're in the Bigelies. When you got that call for the first time telling you it was gonna make it to the Bigelies, what was that feeling like? Oh, it was unbelievable. I wasn't expecting it at all. I was a guy that I didn't even go to spring training last year with the Bigelie team, so. And when they gave me that, when they called me into the office and told me, I mean, yeah, it's just overwhelming almost. It's like a dream, so you just kind of hope you never wake up. Get your car. I didn't, no. It's a pinch of shit. A little bit, yeah. Pinched myself and my dad, I called my dad and he didn't believe me. I had to tell him a few times. You walked around on cloud nine for a couple of days now? Absolutely, yeah. I mean, you saw your uniform for the first time, what was that feeling like? Oh, seeing it hanging there, and I got to go home and play in my hometown for my first Bigelie game and Cincinnati Ohio, so.

4:06Yeah, it was unbelievable seeing it hanging there waiting for me. And that first Bigelie kid? Yeah, it was in that game. I got a double down the first baseline and I was trying my best not to smile when I got the first, so that didn't work. You got the ball, of course. I got the ball, yeah. It was funny. Coach, say you're young, so behind the scene with the man for the curves Tony. Hey, thank you very much. I'll be right back.