23: Team Moms | Joey & Trina Taylor Respond to the Backlash

Show Notes

Episode description 

 Joey and Trina Taylor have an answer for people who watched 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐬 and decided they weren’t real baseball parents. The couple joins Bobby Minor on the Chasing Baseball Dreams Podcast to talk about the criticism and the years at the ballpark that came before reality TV. They also explain why they think the show portrayed them accurately, even though viewers didn’t see the whole story.  

The Taylors get into the cast drama, including the confrontation Joey says never aired. They also walk through some big decisions for their family. Trina explains how their daughter’s dance opportunities factored into the Arizona move, and both parents share what they’re learning as Jett takes more responsibility for his baseball development.  

 In this episode we cover: 

- Is Team Moms scripted? What Joey and Trina say about the drama and the editing 

- Nina’s barbecue and why the singing at the field upset them 

- How they’ve tried to keep disagreements between parents from affecting the boys 

- Jett’s regional championship home run and what reaching Williamsport meant to their family 

- Why Joey challenges the comparison between local Little League teams and national travel rosters 

- Their move from Washington to Arizona and why they chose Legendary Prep Academy 

- Watching for burnout, letting Jett own his development, and handling struggles against older players 

For a parent wondering how hard to push, there’s a moment worth hearing: Joey describes Jett going outside to hit without being asked and without filming it. Trina is seeing him take more interest in his nutrition. They explain what those choices tell them while keeping the conversation open about needing a break.

🎙️ Host: Bobby Minor  

⚾ Guests: Joey and Trina Taylor from 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐬 

 🔔 Subscribe to the Chasing Baseball Dreams Podcast for conversations that help baseball parents think through the decisions they’re making for their sons. 

Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms. 

 #TeamMoms #BaseballParents #TravelBaseball #LittleLeague #ChasingBaseballDreams

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You're spending thousands a year on travel baseball. A better team. A bigger showcase. More lessons. A higher ranking. And you still have no way to know if any of it is actually working.

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Chasing Baseball Dreams is the only baseball parent podcast hosted by someone with no financial stake in where your money goes. I don't run a travel team. I don't sell lessons. I don't coach for an org. I have no reason to steer you in the wrong direction. I'm Bobby Minor... former Division 1 player, 35+ years coaching select baseball and high school, former travel organization director, over 1,000 college recruiting assessments, and a college baseball dad who almost lost 2 sons to this game for 2 very different reasons, with one currently playing college baseball.

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Every episode, I sit down with former Major League players, college coaches, scouts, and baseball dads who've lived through the same grind you're in right now. People who've been inside this industry long enough to tell you the truth about how it actually works.

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Here's what you can expect.

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Real conversations about what actually matters at each age from 8U to signing day. The questions you should be asking before you commit to a team, a coach, or a showcase. The stuff the industry doesn't want you to hear, from people who've been inside it long enough to say it out loud. And the truth about recruiting, development, and where your money is actually going.

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Bobby Minor: And welcome to the Chasing Baseball Dreams podcast. Today I'm joined by Joey and Trina Taylor. and you may be familiar with them from watching their son Jet hit home runs on ESPN in the Little League World Series a couple years back, but they're joining me today from the hit reality TV show on Paramount Plus Team Moms. We got plenty to talk about. So we'll get into the show. I also want to hear about your move from Washington, Arizona, kind of like what went into that and how you've worked. through some of the b these big decisions as parents So Joey and Trina, thank you for joining me on Chasing Baseball Dreams.

Joey Taylor: Yeah, thanks for having us, Bobby.

Trina: Hi. Nice to

Bobby Minor: So

Trina: see you.

Bobby Minor: all right. Well yeah, so and it's this is kind of surreal. I mean, because I've been I binge team moms and I feel like I know you very well as probably a lot of America does. But so let's just kind of get into it. Like so how did how did how did your family end up on Team Moms and what did you two talk through before agreeing to let cameras into your lives?

Joey Taylor: Yeah, so like you had mentioned, Jet was in the Little League World Series, and we you know, he hit a couple home runs on ESPN and he he was getting a lot of publicity. That was two years ago in 2024. And that next summer, we were reached out on his Instagram from a casting director, and they were like, Hey, we've got this crazy idea with an A-less celebrity behind it. We can't say who, but if you guys are interested in this show, you know, can we talk some more? And So I monitor his Instagram and I said, Yeah, reach out. Like we'll talk and see if this is legit. And sure enough, she reached out and then one thing led to another. She found out he went to the private baseball academy. And then I connected, connected the dots with her. And she's like introduced me with like some dynamic families and personalities within the academy. And I said, Say less. There's plenty of that

Trina: Yeah.

Joey Taylor: here. So You know, they they there was a lot of Zoom meetings early on where they met us and met some of the other cast and other folks that didn't be become on the show. And then it was about a year in the making before we actually started filming. you know, and then and then things started rolling.

Bobby Minor: Trina, what about you? So what did you think about all this, Trina? Because if you're like me and my wife, if this same scenario happened for happened with us, like I'm all about it. Like I'm I'm an open book, you know, nothing. There's no no secrets with me. My wife does not want anybody in our business. So Trina, what was

Trina: Yeah.

Bobby Minor: it like for you as as mom and wife?

Trina: Well, when I first got the message, you know, from the casting director, I thought it was fake. I'm like, there's no way. I mean, how does this even happen? I'm a huge reality TV watcher. So I've seen a lot of reality TV shows and know what it's like. I I wasn't really excited, but also it's a little nerve wracking, you know, like letting somebody into your life to be able to judge you and maybe how you parent and I mean everything, you know. So it was really exciting, but it was a little nerve wracking at first.

Bobby Minor: So you mentioned kind of like letting people judge you. And just based on what I've seen on social media, it's almost, you know, everybody's pretty divided. Either people love the show and they love y'all, or people hate the show and they're blasting everybody. So what do you think the show gets right about being a baseball family? And what do you wish viewers understood about your family that they don't get from watching the show?

Joey Taylor: Yeah, I mean, you know, the reality is that we've every scene for that show was filmed like a three hour per scene. And the reality is that they showed maybe three to four or five minutes per scene on every episode. So they had to c compact all that, compress it into a 50-minute episode, right? So they could only utilize a certain amount of stuff. And one thing that we didn't know going into it is Was it going to be 75% baseball, 25% parents and drama? Or, you know, how it was going to pan out? And it turns out it was 75% parents drama at home and 25% baseball. So you don't see a whole lot of.

Trina: I well I mean, you gotta say though, the the tournaments though, when our boys I mean, they filmed three tournaments, and they were there from

Joey Taylor: Four.

Trina: four tournaments, that's right. And but they were there all day. I mean, they were putting in like twelve hour days, so they did film every single game, all three days of the weekend tournaments. And you don't see that on the show because obviously they kind of take the few clips and put it into the episodes, but They filmed everything that our boys did. I think they did a really good job of protecting the boys in a way, maybe knowing that there would be some drama that I I don't know, you know what I mean? They did a great job definitely of that with our with our boys.

Bobby Minor: Yeah, no no doubt. So so what do people what do you wish people knew though about your family that they don't get from watching the show?

Joey Taylor: Yeah, I mean, you know, one thing the short the show portrays, you know, how obsessed and psycho us parents are, like our kids are gonna go play in the major league baseball, right? the reality for us is like, you know, do we want Jets to go play in the MLB? Yes. I mean, doesn't every parent want that for their kid? Like, that's the dream for everybody, I would assume. when I was a little kid, I wanted to play in the MLB. Jets always wanted to. I think every kid wants to, right? So that's his dream, but We always talk about things in a r realistic perspective. And for us, like jet going to play college ball is a huge goal of of Jets. And so we want to stand behind him and give him the best opportunity for that. And so you know, we're realistic with things. But yeah, we want him to get his education. We also want him to pertr pursue his dream of going and playing college ball. And so legendary prep academy where he goes to school, that's that's his avenue right now that we feel is the best fit for him for academically. And, you know, potentially going to play college ball somewhere.

Bobby Minor: Tree, anything you want to add to that?

Trina: Yeah, I mean everything that Joey said spot on. I would say for our family, maybe something people didn't see in the show is that we also do have a daughter who's a senior in high school. and she's pursuing, you know, trying out and going for like dance teams in college right now. So she's not really on the show a whole lot. You see her in like some scenes, but I mean, our family we're busy with all s with the sports are kind of across the board with the kids.

Bobby Minor: Okay. So for the people watching the show, because I know, like, I I told Joey when we were talking pre-show, like my wife was on Cake Wars on the Food Network. And I know that there's, you know, some producer influence and you know, and edits and things are portrayed a certain way. We know people that were on Survivor that, you know, a lot of how you're portrayed is based on the edits. And so how how accurate I'm almost scared to ask this question. How accurate is the betrayal of the families versus that's just kind of how they edit it.

Joey Taylor: I will tell you this, I feel like they did a a pretty darn good job of portraying people how they really are. that being said, every good reality show has to have kind of some villains and some people in the middle. And we were kind of happy to see that they portrayed Trin and I as kind of like the voice of reason, a little bit grounded kind of people. you know, and I will say that there were there were so many scenes that were filmed for hours and hours and hours that didn't even make the cut. That could have portrayed people a little bit differently, but so for the most part, it's pretty accurate. Now, you know, and we could just we could just talk about it. It's fine. If anybody's watching, I've seen the Baldries, right? Probably the biggest villains on the show. And you know, now it went overboard, so they really wanted to portray that, right? But they are the family that keeps to themselves, sits off in left field, beats to their own drum, like does stuff their own way. And so they took it and ran with it, right? And and that was a big storyline of the of the season. So I think they did a good job overall, right? but when they saw a story, they wanted to grasp onto it and and really, really attach and follow that story throughout the season.

Trina: Yeah. I mean I just think like

Bobby Minor: Trina, anything?

Trina: America yeah, America can kind of do their own research on all the things really. I think they did a good job of portraying everybody though for sure. And I know for myself it was great just I had so many people that I've known over the years, maybe even like junior high school, text me and be like, my god, you're exactly the same as you were back then. I'm like, Well, there's nothing else but then to be yourself on reality TV, you know. So, yeah, I think they did a pretty good job of definitely portraying everybody the way it came across. And, you know, there are no scripted lines in the show. Like the drama that happened in the show is actually all very real. So that's the one thing I think people I hear that a lot. Like, is that scripted? Is it like, no, it's not scripted at all.

Joey Taylor: Yeah, and one thing I'll add is that the more you gave to the producers in the camera, like just being yourself and open and honest and willing to discuss things, the more we gave them to utilize like who we really are and what we really think. And some of the families that may have closed off and may have not spoken exactly how they felt, that leaves the producers and post-production to kind of portray you how they want, right? if you didn't give them a ton. then they can go off and say what they want to say or or make it look a certain way, which is which is interesting. But for the most part, I think it was a pretty accurate portrayal.

Bobby Minor: Okay. Well, so like I know this past weekend, y'all were at at the Dodgers game. So like when you get together as a group like that, is there any awkwardness, any tension, or is everybody just like get along?

Trina: Hey look, we're all professional.

Joey Taylor: I'll let Trina handle this one because yeah, they just paid they so it was cool that Paramount paid for the girls to fly out semi private out there and gave them a budget and put them up in the suite with some celebrities and stuff. So that was cool. The guys, we didn't get that treatment, so we we were back here in Scottsdale. I'll let Trina answer that one.

Trina: Well, we needed somebody to stay back and hold down the port for sure. no, Paramount took amazing care of us. They put us up in an awesome hotel. yeah, the Dodgers game was super fun. I think we're all professional enough for the most part. you know, not all of us really get along right now still, and that's real life. But, you know, you gotta put on a smile for the group to be together as we did this as a whole. I mean, this is us as a group, you know, team moms. So We went there, you know, supporting the show and the cast and and Paramount and yeah, I think everybody did a really good job of that for sure.

Bobby Minor: Okay. Well, yeah, the stuff I saw on social media looked looked really cool. Looked like y'all like y'all had a good time. so let's go back. I want to talk for a second about the quality of baseball because you you mentioned it, Joey. Like I'm a baseball guy, and so when I'm sitting there watching s you know, some of the some of the clips that they show of some of the players, I'm like telling my wife, like, man, like, you know, it doesn't look good, you know. swing, swing looks a little wonky and things like that. What level so do the players Like do they only play for their school team year round? Like is that their club team during the summer also and everything? Or do they play like do they play on other teams? like what does that look like and and what level do most of the players play?

Joey Taylor: Yeah, so what you saw on TV, those are those are mostly major major level players. you know, some of the kids that and you know, you they bounce around so much, they don't don't so don't show a whole lot of the game and the lineup and all that. So there are some triple A kids mixed in there, but for the most part, they're all they're all majors players. this team, LPA Outlaws, we have we have kids, I mean, we probably play maybe six to eight tournaments in the fall, six to eight tournaments in the spring. Now it's like we never have our full full team though, because some kids play nationally. Probably on that team, there's probably six or eight kids that go play somewhat nationally, right? So you know, and I'll use Jet as an example. you know, he's definitely a majors player. He's played some national stuff. and you know, like on the show, you don't They don't show him getting one hit or they

Bobby Minor: Yeah.

Joey Taylor: don't show him making any spectacular diving catches that they caught on film or off-balance throws in the infield. But all that happens. And I think they, you know, it's a reality show. They want to portray it a certain way and they want people to talk about it and they want to show some of the struggles, you know. but I I will say that we we've got, I mean, we probably have between the whole academy, maybe five select fest players in the building.

Bobby Minor: Okay.

Joey Taylor: we have got the number one pitcher in the nation that just won the gold with USA. Jackson Hannon's on our team, one of Jet's best friends. you know, Jonah Perry is in the academy, Noah Henderson. These are all, you know, top thirty players in in the nation within the academy. So there are a lot of kids mixed in. Not a lot of those kids were on the show, right? But yeah, so it You're right though. I mean, a lot of what they showed was a lot of negative stuff, right? But I think it's cool that they didn't show us just winning a lot, right? Because we did win a lot of games, but they they showed a lot of the struggles too, which is fine.

Trina: I think too though for the boys it's a little nerve wracking.

Bobby Minor: Well it's to me it's just okay okay.

Trina: Being on camera. You know what I mean? Like sorry, I was gonna say I think too, like

Bobby Minor: go ahead, Trina. I'll go ahead. Yeah.

Trina: in in the beginning it was very nerve wracking for the boys like being filmed. You know, people didn't see the behind the scenes, but there had been probably thirty film crew there just kind of running around the field the whole time. And so, not that that's like an excuse, but definitely can feed into how they're they're feeling, you know, in the moment, the pressure of like being put on camera too, in a way, I guess, you know.

Joey Taylor: And you know, I'll give you a good example, Bobby, is in one of the first two episodes, there's a fly ball hit right behind second base, and Jet, our son, is playing second. Cash Kelly, who's the number one ranked twenty thirty player in the state of Tennessee, he's playing short. They both run over there. Jet calls it, cash calls and it drops. And you know, it shows Trina. She goes, What the fuck was that? And you know, we're you know, we're upset.

Trina: yeah.

Joey Taylor: You were like, dude, somebody be a dog and go make the play, right? But

Bobby Minor: Yeah.

Joey Taylor: standing next to me was Dustin Kelly, a very good friend of mine. And if for those that don't know who he is, he's the hitting coach for the Chicago Cubs. And he was he just he was just laughing at he's like, he goes, dude, I see that happen in the MLB like weekly. He goes, That that happens. It's right between them. He's calling it, then the shortstop comes and calls it. They back up. He goes, You see it at the major league baseball level. But you know, that scene, they highlighted that because you know it was interesting. And a lot of people were like, these kids can't even catch a damn fly ball. And it's like, dude, that happens all the time. And it's so we really didn't care about it. In the moment it's like, Yeah, somebody make a play, but that kind of stuff happens.

Bobby Minor: Yeah, no doubt. What were we gonna say, Trina?

Trina: I just can't believe I got put on camera. I'm like, man, but that was like such a raw emotion of like, really? Like what is going on here? So so funny.

Bobby Minor: Yeah. It was a shortstop's ball. So that that's I mean, they're both there.

Joey Taylor: Ha ha ha.

Trina: Yeah.

Bobby Minor: Shortstop shortstop should take control. And all right. So I wanna I only I do wanna ask about two specific situations that did happen on the show and then we're gonna get into more just some just baseball talk. So two of them. So because in the beginning of the show, the primary villain was Nina. so I'm not gonna ask if she does carry a bottle of tequila in her purse. I don't care. You know, that that that can be her thing, but But y'all like y'all hosted a barbecue to kind of let her give her a chance to tell her side. So like what made you want to get involved? And did you catch any heat from the other parents for giving her that chance?

Joey Taylor: Yeah, I mean, I I think that's where they did a good job portraying our family because as you can see in that episode, Trina was a little hesitant. because yeah, all the families were really like, Who is this lady? Like we didn't we didn't really know Nina until filming started. Nina wasn't even part of the cast when we started filming. And I I talked to Jeremiah, one of the main producers, and I was like, I could tell this Nina gal wants to be on the show and she'd be gold. Like she's very outgoing. And we heard about the little bitch comment thing, you know, and we're and I was like, that that alone could be could be big. And so he went over and talked to her. And the next day she's in there lighting up a coach and then she's getting lit up by the admin. And then next thing you know, she's on the show. And then all these moms were like, Wait a minute, this bitch wasn't even supposed to be

Trina: Okay.

Joey Taylor: on the show. And so you know, they had their guard up big time. And I am the kind of guy, and Trina could tell you this that

Trina: Mm.

Joey Taylor: I like to include everybody, give everybody a fair chance. And I'm like, well, we're just going off of what we heard and why don't we invite them over? And you know, we knew they were gonna be a part of the cast too. So I said, Hey, invite over and let let her say her side of the story and we'll go from there.

Bobby Minor: It's c and so what do you think about all this, Trina?

Trina: Yeah, same like as Joey said, I'd heard about the little bitch comment from the kids at school had been circulating around, you know, but I actually didn't hear about it till like many months. I was saying many months, maybe like a month or two after it had happened. I don't go into the school a whole lot, so I'm just a drive-by pickup kind of kind of gal. but yeah, she wasn't supposed to be on the show. I just knew who she was that she was a pull the Pilates structure. So when all this kind of went down and Joey does. He always wants the more the merrier, the bigger the party, you know, and I'm always a little apprehensive, you know, because our friends were feeling a little uneasy about the situation to start with. but yeah, I think Nina deserved to have her own, you know, time to say why she said it, what happened, just hear the whole story from her perspective, you know.

Bobby Minor: Yeah. And I can tell you right now, and and I'll give you a chance to plug your podcast 'cause y'all host a podcast and I know you're about to have Daddy Ball University on. I can tell you right now, he's probably gonna ask about Nina, because he's a big fan of of baseball moms and yoga pants. So I'm sure I'm sure that will that will come

Trina: Yeah.

Bobby Minor: up. so okay, when parents start taking sides, like how do you keep that from becoming a problem between the boys?

Joey Taylor: Yeah, that's that's one thing that all of us parents kind of chatted about is like we gotta we gotta try to not let what's happening on camera outside of the baseball field and academy, we can't let it affect these boys, right? And I think everybody did a very good job of that, not carrying it home. You know, we we didn't talk with Jed about all the parent drama and stuff. the kids weren't around when a lot of this arguing and stuff was going on. So we did a mate a good job and the producers did a good job of keeping all that separate, you know, 'cause that's important. At the end of the day, like parents can have their drama and all that, but what's important is that the kids are still getting their education, still focused on baseball and moving forward in in that regard. So we try to keep the kids out of as much as possible. One thing I will add too

Trina: Yeah, I mean I think the boys I know the boys still hang out

Bobby Minor: Okay.

Trina: all the time. Good joy.

Joey Taylor: One thing I'll add, Bobby, is because you have minors in this world of reality TV, we had to go through extensive you know, background checks and met with psychiatrists before filming, during filming, after filming, because you know, it is important, right? all the exposure and love and hate that they're gonna get, and cameras in front of their face and seeing themselves on TV. They did do a very good job of that. And Jets Jets really grounded, doesn't let a lot of the outside noise bother him. But still, you know, it's a it's a big thing. And so I I thought that was cool that they they do protect the kids that way.

Trina: Yeah, I think

Bobby Minor: What were you gonna add, Trina?

Trina: yeah, just the whole the boys, like they still all hang out, like out, you know, at school and I'm I'm gonna say for the most part, but a lot of these boys, I mean, they are they're very close group of friends. And so even between the parents, I don't think it phases the kids at all. They're just living their life, like having fun, going to school, playing baseball. You know, the drama that happened between the parents, at least for our family, and I think for many of the other families, it stuck just between the the fam the parents. Like nobody brought it in to the kids. Like we didn't even tell Jet half the things that happened during filming until after we wrapped up before the show was getting ready to be released. We kinda had to sit him down and be like, Okay, look, like these situations kinda happen and you might see it on TV, you know, all that kind of stuff. So he was prepared and and honestly it it doesn't face him at all.

Bobby Minor: So are y'all concerned at all? Because I feel I feel pretty confident that it will happen that, you know, y'all are gonna be playing in a tournament and let's say let's say Jet's struggling at the plate or whatever, that he he's gonna start getting heckled from the other team, from the other fans because he's on team moms.

Joey Taylor: yeah, we we already see that happen, you know. he uses that as motivation. Like maybe not all kids, but you know, and that's why when we signed up for this thing, if Jet was a a shy kid that the outside noise really bothered him, we probably wouldn't have signed up, right? But Jet's the kind of kid that like thrives off that, right? I mean, he's gone through this with the Little League World Series. So he's he's heard all this before. When we moved down to Arizona after the little league world series stuff went down, You know, people are like, yeah, Little League World Series, that ain't nothing. You know, you you ain't shit. You know, he

Bobby Minor: Yeah.

Joey Taylor: he he's used to it. So yeah, I I don't think that bothers him. but you know, you're right. There there certainly could be some pressure. But then when he overcomes and he's hitting doubles and home runs here and there, and then he's like, Yeah, what's up? You know, I'm a real baseball player. And that's something Bobby, you and I talked, but you know, Jet was out in this summer out in Reno. hitting a bunch of home runs and you know, the boys did real well out there. And so, you know, he is a good baseball player. You know, there there's highs and lows for him, just like any other kid. But as long as he keeps working hard and he's on the right trajectory, that's all that matters to us.

Bobby Minor: So the question everybody wants to go ahead. go ahead, Trina, go ahead.

Trina: Yeah, I mean, I think even sorry. I think

Bobby Minor: Sorry.

Trina: I think too like I mean everybody if you say that your kids don't have ups and downs, you're lying to yourselves. But you know, like that as you know, even some of the best players have moments where they're not performing their best. but I think too just being a parent and through all of this for us, like having the door of communication like open for Jet to talk to us about things and us to be able to talk to him has helped a tremendously for sure.

Bobby Minor: Okay, that's awesome. no, I was gonna say, so the question I'm sure everybody wants to know to new school year, how are Jets grades?

Joey Taylor: Yeah, you know, Jet's grades, as you saw on the show, was just a direct result of him just not putting in the effort. Like he's an intelligent kid. And so he ended with all A's and B's. And actually, I had this conversation yesterday when I picked him up from the academy, just asked him how all that stuff was going. And he actually said that he's ahead like almost a month right now. So he's he's been really locked in all A's. You know, that's one thing else is a lot of a lot of people are like, only only two hours, two and a half hours of education every day. Like, these kids aren't learning anything. Well, no, I mean, they are. And I can tell you this: that there was a a a student in the same online academy program that got accepted into Brown University. And so when you hear stuff like that as a parent who cares about education as well, that we have somebody that was accepted into Brown University as a basketball player, that tells me, okay. No matter where Jet wants to go, if the skill level's there and he has the opportunity, he can get into, you know, a lot of a lot of different areas. And you know, the education system is such BS anyway. There's so much wasted time in public schools

Bobby Minor: Yeah.

Joey Taylor: that I mean, the stuff they are focusing on is the stuff they actually need to get into college, and the stuff that's important.

Trina: Yeah, I wanna say too, I think people don't realize because they're like two hours a day. Well, the kids focus on only two classes. I think it's like every six weeks. So so they're doing two classes, but yet that is like an the entire semester. So they focus on two at a time. And I think that's what people aren't realizing it's not, you know, seven classes, six classes all in a two hour period.

Bobby Minor: Okay. So so how did y'all how did y'all even get connected to LPA? Because I told I sent Joey a text and told him that Will, who's the CEO, had actually DM'd me on Instagram in May. And so we exchanged some conversations and everything. And we were planning planning to have a conversation, we just never did. And I and I didn't it didn't even click until the other day. And I was like, wait, Will, and then he's in Arizona and this is a private academy. I said I won't and I went back and checked my DMs. I thought we were talking like, you know, a few several months back. So how did y'all get connected to LPA and and what made both of you say, Yo, yeah, this is exactly where jet needs to be?

Joey Taylor: Yeah, so we were actually out in Williamsport, Pennsylvania during the Little League World Series in twenty twenty four. And LPA was brand new starting up. I mean, they were just getting everything finished and opening up their doors. And Dustin Kelly, the Cubs hitting coach, he still lived in Scottsdale at the time, and his son Cash, they did a tour and he was like, This is crazy. He's like, This is right up the boys' alley. You know, if you want to check it out, let me know. I can connect you with these guys. And so he made the connection. And then I I was actually out in William Sport. Trina was still in Arizona, hadn't flown out yet to us. And she went and toured it, FaceTime me, talked with, you know, all the admin and the the ownership there. It's really an incredible place. It it really is. They really care about the boys. everybody that's that's coaching in there has high-level X experts MLB. college experience, et cetera. the facility's top notch. They they've they feed them smoothies in the mornings with protein. They feed him a catered lunch every day. there's there's recovery, you know, with red light therapy, cold plunge, cupping. they've got all this stuff. They have maybe two blocks down is like a physical therapist kind of place that they come in multiple times each week. So th they're constantly under the supervision of you know, for any injuries and everything else. And you know, school teachers and they get their laptops and they give them they give them gloves and and all this. So, you know, at the end of the day, if you start adding up how much parents spend for youth travel baseball, especially if you have a kid that's kind of at the major's level where they're traveling around and you're probably getting pitching lessons, you're probably getting hitting lessons, you're probably getting fielding lessons, you're buying them all the equipment, you're paying the tournament fees and uniforms. LPA part of your tuition covers all of that stuff, right? It's all included. And then they do a bunch of extras for the boys too. They take them out like a couple times a month and do fun get-togethers, whether it's top golf or, you know, whatever, stuff like that. So LPA is incredible. The boys love it. They get their education. They're getting all the training. you know, dedicated strength and condition conditioning coaches. And they they track the metrics. So we see Jets improvement on. you know, exit velocity and strength training and speed work and his ten yard time, 40 yard time, 60 yard time. We have all those analytics from when he started back in August of twenty twenty four to currently right now. So you can see how things have improved. you know, they have all that data that eventually they'll be able to share as the boys get older, right?

Bobby Minor: Yeah. So doesn't sound cheap. So are you gonna have to come out of retirement, Joey?

Joey Taylor: It's actually what I was gonna say is go start adding up how much somebody spends per month on a major level type of player. And it's not it's not that bad. You know, I think we spend somewhere, what, around twenty two, twenty four hundred dollars a month and all that stuff gets covered. So we're no it's not that bad, honestly.

Bobby Minor: I thought you could say twenty two grand a month. I mean, but you know, yeah. Yeah.

Trina: But honestly too, I mean, you think of people that

Bobby Minor: Yeah. What were you gonna say, Trina?

Trina: well, the people that send their kids to private school and not just a baseball academy, but like any private school, people are paying, you know, a good chunk of change for that. So, yeah, I think it's just like what Joey said, when you combined everything all in one, it kind of makes sense. But also, I I have seen a lot on like the social media stuff that like, why are these are not a travel team? Why are they not traveling? They also have to think like We were within a budget of production. Like, you know, it costs a lot to have to fly an entire crew out of state or, you know, ho put them up in hotels and airfare. And so our goal, you know, the goal for them I think was just keeping us, you know, at Arizona Athletic Grounds. And just that was kind of where we filmed the entire time to make it easy and and be within budget for production.

Bobby Minor: Yeah, that makes sense. okay, my one other show question that I wanted to ask. I said I had two situations. We talked about the barbecue. I wanna talk about the singing at the field. The ball so was that really was it that big of a deal? Was it that much of a distraction? Like

Joey Taylor: I I thought I thought you said this the scene at the field, but you said the sing singing. Yeah. I mean,

Bobby Minor: No, sing ying, sing ying. Take me out to the ballgame.

Joey Taylor: so I can tee it up to you like this. This was late in the filming. This was the last tournament they filmed. at this point we're already kind of just like distracted and annoyed with the family, just with all the things that were going on. And you know, they show up like as the game's already started. So you didn't really see that in the episode, but they came like after it already started. And it was like I called it a circus because that's what it looked like. I could see it coming from a mile away. You could see they're wearing the the branding that they're promoting for their son. They've got all these people. I've never met ne met or seen these people at any games, by the way. And they show up and it's it's instantly like, yeah, they start harmonizing and humming and then singing. And what really pissed me off is that like the parents weren't even watching the game. You know, the the choir was face facing the field. The parents were facing the other way with the cameras were on the whole time. It was apparent and obvious that they were looking for camera time. And it just got more and more annoying. And as that was a very close game, it was a semifinal game of a PG tournament, I believe it was. And there were some really good teams in it. And we were like, you know, get just getting an annoyed because it wouldn't stop. And so, I had some choice words that I said during that game and after the game with that family that they didn't err because I think they they wanted to portray me a certain way, right? But because a lot of people were like, why didn't you guys say something more? And but they just made them look kind of crazy. And honestly, but it was real, like they did that shit the whole time. We couldn't believe it, especially in the moment of like that game. Sal wasn't even playing, he didn't play the whole time. He was embarrassed and annoyed on it too. And You know, and then it was a tight game we lost, trying to make a comeback and then and then they were still singing and laughing and doing their thing. But yeah, it was it was frustrating. Yeah.

Trina: Yeah, I felt like I was in church. I'm like, what is going on? I was sitting there

Bobby Minor: What do you guys say, Trina? I was laughing at Trina's reaction. I'm sorry, I was

Trina: Yeah.

Bobby Minor: just laughing at your reaction when I even asked the question. So I definitely want to hear what you have to say.

Trina: Yeah, no, I thought I was in church. And I just remember watching the game and I was what the hell is going on? I like turn around and there there they were, like all in white. I'm like, you've got to be kidding me. And that whole scene with me and Aaron when we, you know, have the sit-down with her. yeah, Sal did not play that tournament. But what what America I guess didn't see is that he did go and play another tournament. I believe it was the 13U tournament, literally. right after our game. And I remember asking somebody else on my team, I'm like, so did the choir show up for that tournament also? And they were like, No, they did not. So I'm just like, of course. It was just it was really upsetting to our boys because I it I feel like it kind of got in their heads and it ruined their chance at like making it to the championship game for sure, hands down. Even parents that aren't on the show who are very quiet and level headed were so upset. They were going into LPA that Monday morning with some words about that situation. So They they really ruined it and I think, you know, when you're taking it away from the kids, that's that's not okay in my my book.

Bobby Minor: That so I was I was really curious about that because again you never know with editing. Is it is it you know but so that sounds pretty accurate. So so

Joey Taylor: it was super accurate, yeah.

Bobby Minor: is John as high strung as he seems?

Joey Taylor: yes. And you know, I I will say with John, you know, he was the tough guy early on. And it for those of you on the audience that have seen everything, you can see that he's the tough guy trying to throw hands. He's pissed off about the situation. And then as the season goes on, a lot of people kind of like start to, you know, I don't know, I don't know if it's fall in love or respect or appreciate John, but you kind of get the more of the true side of what John really is. He's not a big bully out there doing that stuff all the time. And But KJ was hurt the majority of that season, right? He came in and pitched at the end. And then I hope there's a season two because you'll get some golden opportunity to see how John acts during the game. He is very over the top, very obsessed with KJ's baseball and baseball in general. He's the guy that tells us about all the seating and pool seating and bracket play stuff. Like he's that guy. And when KJ walks, John's pissed. And he's like, he's he's literally pissed. He stands up, he's like, That's bullshit. And you know, like I'm close with John. I'm like, like, why are you so mad about the walks, man? And he's like, he's like, Did you see the the call to strike? He could've he could have hit that. And now he's just walking. And so he is over the top, but that's just how he is, and he'll admit that. And so you know, he wears that walk suck hat and and A lot of people think it's on the pitching side, but no, he he's talking about the hitting side. Like he hates when kids walk. So we actually created a a a walk suck hat and we'll have them for sale here soon. So if anybody in the audience wants those, we have them in different colors. But it's just so funny because walks do suck on both ends, pitching and and hitting, and they show that on the show.

Bobby Minor: Well, I mean, like they say, like in the Dominican Republic, like you don't walk your way off the island. So, you know, same thing,

Joey Taylor: Yeah, true.

Bobby Minor: you're not you're not gonna get a scholarship, you're not gonna play college baseball just by walking. so all right, we'll we'll transition a little bit now. I think that's all of my team mom's questions, I think for

Trina: Yeah.

Bobby Minor: the most part. so so take me back to when Jet first started playing. when did you realize that baseball was something that he wanted to take seriously? And then how did y'all decide what opportunities to give him along the way up to this point?

Joey Taylor: Yeah. So Jets baseball career. when he was like seven years old and he was playing some coach pitch stuff, you know, he was one of the best players on the team. And that's kind of when I realized, hey, you know, we gotta find a like a select baseball team for him. And so we had to kind of dig around and see like what do we got for programs? Well, new level baseball in P. Alp, Washington, which in the Northwest, that's the biggest, it's the biggest travel team, right? they were just really starting to expand. And I reached out, sent him to a tryout for their eight U team, and he looked really good there. And then I I had a baseball background myself. I had an opportunity to go play baseball at Long Beach State and try to walk on at ASU. And I I I personally was just kind of burnt out and never pursued that. And so I I have a a baseball background and I wanted to get into coaching, but I wanted to wait till I was coaching some kids that could like play catch at least. So they had asked me there at new level to coach that select team. So I coached Jets select team, eight you, nine you, ten you, eleven you, all the way to twelve you. And a lot of those kids and some of them became select fest players, top one hundred players, Raleigh Jennings and Ben Medford and Braden Blair. So a lot of those kids, I coached them up, right? And so we we had the best team in the Northwest back then. I mean, we were winning every tournament. And so that that was kind of Jet's upbringing. And then we moved to Arizona but kept a house in Washington. And so we split our time between Arizona and Washington when when Jet was eleven, turning twelve. So it's twelve U year, we stayed and played in South Hill Little League. And we flew back and played all the all the games, all the tournaments, so he could qualify for the All Star team. And then I ended up being one of the coaches on the All-Star team. Well, that team, because of that select team in Pew, all those kids lived in POLP too. So they were all within the boundaries of South Hill Little League. And then yeah, I mean, All-Star and then win districts, and then we go win the states, and then we go down to the regionals, win that, and then we go all the way to Williamsport. Super fun experience for us. And so that was kind of Jets upbringing in the in the baseball world.

Bobby Minor: Okay. Trina anything you want to add to that?

Trina: Yeah, no, I mean New Level was great for us, you know, for Jet. He had a great time and made some great connections. I wanna say New Level has I think it's two facilities now, but yeah, they kind of dominate the Northwest. So Joey being his coach, it was really cool. I think to start out, wouldn't you say like they started out with the eight you with a coach that had a big issue and they were like, Hold on, we gotta pivot this. And that's when Joey got to come in and It's cool 'cause even those boys till this day and I'll see in the show, they still text and write and like how much they miss Joey, how he really connected with them on you know, each like each one of them on their own level. So it's really cool to know that he made an impact on all those kids.

Joey Taylor: And and Bobby, one other thing is like there's a lot of hate out there that's like these parents, they know nothing about the real travel ball world. And it's like yeah, I'd be hard pressed to find somebody that knows more than our family does about it. I mean, we took

Bobby Minor: Yeah.

Joey Taylor: these kids nationally at a tiny from seven, eight years old all the way up to currently, right? And I I was in the trenches, you know, coaching here and there and then little league World Series stuff. So it's like we've seen any and everything. And You know, that that photo shoot that they did for T Moms, like the title shoot and stuff, showing these gals all dressed up and we're wearing button ups and they're like, These aren't real baseball parents. It's like they have to promote this show. Like they're not gonna

Bobby Minor: Yeah.

Joey Taylor: throw us in just straight sweats and stuff. So we thought that was pretty funny. but yeah, every one of these parents at LPA, their kids have all played ball for a long time.

Bobby Minor: Yeah. Well and that's

Trina: I think

Bobby Minor: really why one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to have go ahead, Trina, go ahead. Sorry.

Trina: sorry. I want to say I think too for people in the nation, if you haven't been to Arizona to see the fields here, I mean, I have every tent you can think of and every chair that you can think of out in my garage. But like we have some great facilities here that have covered seating. We have some, I mean, up until last year that had like stadium seating. So you can sometimes walk into a a game and not really need to bring a ton of stuff, but maybe just your bleach or chair. You know, and then your your water or whatever, because they even sell food, drinks. So it's it's I feel like some of the facilities around here are definitely top notch for sure.

Bobby Minor: yeah, no, it's a great, yeah. I mean a a great baseball area. I okay, so yeah, and that see, that's one of the b reasons why I wanted to have y'all on my podcast because I think just, you know, people see the show and like you're saying, they think, these are a bunch of just rich families that don't they don't have a clue. And I know, you know, sp specifically you, Joey, you know, you do have a baseball background and I wanted people to realize that yeah, like some of these kids can't play, some of us do know the game. And you mentioned Long Beach State. I had TJ Bruce, the head coach at Long Beach State, on my podcast, a few weeks back. He actually was an assistant coach at TCU here in Fort Worth, where I live also before that. But yeah, Coach Bruce is a great guy and so anyway, you were almost a dirtbag. So

Joey Taylor: Yeah. One of my one of my best buddies, Brian Jacobis, he's one of the coaches at Corona del Sol, here in Tempe, Arizona, who they won the state title two years ago last year. They lost in a heartbreaker in the championship game. His son Ben Jacobis is going to TCU. he's committed to TCU, so he'll be heading to your neck of the woods, yeah.

Bobby Minor: really? Yeah. Okay. I live five minutes from the T Sue baseball field, so

Joey Taylor: Nice. Yeah. And Brian's Bine Brian's a fan of yours. He watches your stuff too. I told him I'd I'd be on here. So yeah, he's a he's a great,

Bobby Minor: wow. Okay. That's very

Joey Taylor: great baseball dude. He's got some really good insights. He's came from Washington as well, one of the owners at New Level, and then came down. And yeah, Ben Ben Ben's been a great baseball player down here. So we're looking forward to watching him at TCU.

Bobby Minor: Yeah, that'd be a lot of fun. so Jet hit a three run home run, drove in five runs in the regional championship that helped send South Hill to Williamsport. So take me back, both of you, to watching watching your son come through in that moment. Like, like what did that whole run teach you about him and what he needs from you as parents?

Joey Taylor: Yeah, and I I can tell you that Jet's always been the kind of player where when he's playing, like like all baseball players, when he's playing confident, he's really good. Like almost to a point where he's being cocky. And I know some people don't like that, but as a coach, what I was good at as a coach is I was able to identify how to connect with my player and how to get the best effort out of my player. And some of that is maybe bringing down the level of of cockiness out of a kid, you d to humble him a bit. But on the flip side, somebody like Jet, he plays a lot better when he's confident and cocky. And he just got on the streak in the Little League World Series stuff, the run we made towards it where he he was just, you know, barreling up baseballs. And you they're I think the the mound is only forty six feet. And, you know, we faced some dudes that were throwing eighty miles an hour from forty six

Trina: Okay.

Joey Taylor: feet.

Bobby Minor: Yeah.

Joey Taylor: That's coming in there quick and they're throwing off speed and everything else. So Jet was Just really confident the plate. And he he just started bar barreling up balls and you could just see him like moving around with that swagger. And he was starting third base and making crazy plays over there. And for us, you know, he hit a big, big time home run in the state tournament to beat a really good team from Seattle that advanced us to make it to the regionals, which then we're on ESPN. And then in the in the semifinals, we were chasing like five or six runs to Oregon. And Jet hit a home run and a a couple doubles in that game as well. And you know, that was kind of like when we were like, okay, like he's in the spotlight and he's he's tearing it up and he's fired up and he's he's looking great. And and so to come back and win that game was huge and then go to the championship game. We'd already lost to Idaho once in the in the regional tournament. And then we just had to beat him the one time. But it was a a tight game. Jet had a good game, but that last inning, you know, we we barely tied it up and then took the one run lead and it was the top of the top of the inning. And then Jet came up and hit the three run home run. And that was like the cherry on top. And I think once that happened, everybody knew we were gonna win that game. And so it was a really, really special moment for our family and for Jet. Just all the hard work he'd put in over the years, all the highs and lows, and to see him like come out on top on the national level like that. Such a crazy moment. You know, we got like two hours of sleep that night, woke up at three a.m. They put us on a private charter jet. straight to Williamsport to the private landing strip there. It was like a whirlwind of emotions. Just we we were down Raleigh Jennings, our leadoff batter, there was two strikes on him, two outs. The pitcher threw him like three or four curveballs in a row. He fouled three of them off and then hits a double down the left field line and just gave us enough spark to be like, okay, let's go. And then yeah, to pull that off and go to Williamsport, like such a crazy experience. One thing I always tell people is like, people like, yeah, you bought your way here and there. I'm like No amount of money can get you to Williamsport. You have

Bobby Minor: Yeah.

Joey Taylor: to little league doesn't there's no BS. You gotta be within that league. You've gotta win all those games, win the tournaments to advance. And so for for our team and and family to experience that and go through that was it was a special, special moment for us.

Bobby Minor: Katrina, what about you as mom? What was it like for you?

Trina: man, I remember when he was up to bat in that game and my girlfriend Sierra Blair was sitting next to me and I'm like, he's gonna hit a home run. I called it out and she I mean, if you watch the footage, you they show they panned me and I think that I've never had a feeling like that in my entire life. It was just like this overwhelming amount of like excitement and you're just so proud and yeah, it was really, really awesome. It's it's a moment I'll Cherish for the rest of my life for sure. I'm just so proud of them.

Bobby Minor: Doubt. So Joey, let me ask you this question, 'cause obviously like little league baseball has been in decline for past at least past twenty years for sure. Do you think travel baseball is killing little league baseball? Or do you think little league baseball is killing little league baseball?

Joey Taylor: Yeah, I just think it's the travel baseball. Like we all know that the travel ball industry as a whole, I mean, I'm sure it's a billion dollar industry by now, right?

Bobby Minor: yeah.

Joey Taylor: there's so many high level tournaments that there weren't tournaments like that back in the day, right? And so now you have these travel ball teams that are and the best teams in the nation, and you know as well as I do, they pull kids from all across the whole country. You you don't have a team that's from one one city that's going and playing, you know, national baseball and performing well. Now it's they're pulling from everywhere. Whereas little league, you legit have to have one town, that's your baseball team. And so when people are like, little league baseball is terrible and those teams suck, you know, it's like, well, yeah, when you're comparing them to kids that are being pulled across from the whole nation, the best kids in the in the in the nation and the world playing together, yeah, yeah, the the the talent's not gonna quite be there. but yeah, I I think little league baseball, I think it's still strong, but compared to travel baseball. It looks it looks so much different, right? And part of the rules of they still have those shorter distances and the shorter fields, you know. Like for Jet, we're in Williamsport playing on, you know, whatever they are, 60-foot base pass. And we fly back to Arizona, and then he's got a tournament two weeks later, and he's playing on a full-size field. And it's like, shit, this looks huge. Like this is crazy. But that is the age when they start going through puberty and then next thing you know, it's like no big deal. And all the kids have to make that jump, but it's always seeing that struggle going from twelve to thirteen to fourteen, into B B cores and everything else.

Trina: I think too a lot of kids expire like they they wanna go to the Little League World Cities. Like that is an experience that is like no other. They're treated like they're an MLB player. Like I I mean, it's awesome. So I don't know. I think the boys, you know, if you wanna aspire to to get there, more select kids are gonna start going down that route of creating these teams, you know, to like to go all the way there.

Bobby Minor: Yeah. It's unfortunate. I think every year it seems like you hear about a team somewhere, I think this year was in Tulsa, you know, where they're just trying to game the system and you know, do whatever they can. And it to me that's really unfortunate because a it it it ruins the opportunity for you know for the people that were trying to to do it right. And then the kids are the ones that suffer. And you know, it's it's funny how much adults can mess things up for kids. what were you saying Joey?

Joey Taylor: I just gonna say, yeah, I I saw that story and, you know, like even our team from Pew All up, a lot of people questioned it and, you know, we got some hate because we have, you know, had a house in Arizona and Washington at the time that were splitting time back and forth. But, you know, w we were within all the rules and stuff. And we made a run the year prior when all these boys were eleven and most of were on the the the majors team and almost one state to get on ESPN in twenty twenty three also. So we knew we had a special team and we just kept all those boys together. But yeah, any kind of town that's got great a great select team that's actually from the same city, yeah, by all means make a run to the Little League World Series. Like that's that's an experience that like like none other.

Trina: Yeah. I mean even like Bonnie Lake has gone all the way in Bonnie Lake and South Hill, they're side by side towns and a lot of those kids all train at new level. So you do see like the similar you know, the towns around creating these teams.

Bobby Minor: Yeah. And I I mean I've I've done I've talked about it before, you know, like should Little League, you know, say during little league season you can't be rostered on a travel team or whatever to kind of try to protect the integrity of it. But I just don't think there's any any way around it because if if they try to produce all star teams that only had players that only played little league, the quality is you know, it's just gonna be subpar, I think, for the most part. And I think a lot of it too depends on where you live. Some areas it seems like the West Coast, You know, not only in Washington, but in California has some little leagues that just thrive, but you go to other places and like little leagues almost nonexistent.

Trina: I think too, like maybe not everybody can afford to go do select ball or, you know, do these kind of things. So, you know, literally i it's an opportunity for kids that are still, you know, very good ball players. They get in there and and showcase themselves.

Bobby Minor: Yeah. So okay, I know you ha you have an older daughter. How much of the move from Washington, Arizona was purely driven by baseball?

Joey Taylor: Yeah, you know I

Bobby Minor: And I mentioned your daughter because obviously you you have other things besides baseball, but I still know how much was baseball the driving factor.

Joey Taylor: Yeah, so there were there was a lot of things that went into the decision. I had recently sold my business and we we pretty much retired. I went to ASU back in the day. We'd had a vacation house down here in Arizona. We knew we loved the weather. Obviously, at that time, Jet kept getting better and better at baseball. kind of a last-minute decision, really, where Jet was going into middle school, sixth grade, Presley was going into high school, ninth grade. And you know, we'd sold the business and I was like, now's the time. If we're gonna do it, like now's the time. but baseball was a huge factor because we knew Jack could play year round. So at that at that point, he was playing football and basketball as well, but he was like, Dad, I just want to play baseball. Like he loves playing baseball. And so we discussed

Trina: I think too though for our daughter, she like I you know, I've been travel dance mom for many years and the dance teams down here are incredible, especially compared to the Northwest. they would win like every single competition that we would go to. And so I knew coming down here that there were some of the best dance studios that could be offered probably on like the West Coast. So it was a great move for her as well. And She's just became like a more incredible dancer as well.

Joey Taylor: And up up in the Pacific Northwest, like all the fall tournaments that we would take our travel team to and go down to Vegas or Arizona and play in or Huntington Beach and play in these PG super regional tournaments, you know, we are getting our butts kicked. And it's because these kids down here in the south and southwest, they're playing outdoor real baseball, you know, with with the proper depth perception and stuff. And we're we're We had a really good fielding team when we went down there because we're indoors taking ground balls like there's nobody else's business, right? But then when we came down here, like we just couldn't hit. And it's because we're just in cages, you know, front toss, throwing and stuff, and you're not getting the live arms. And so that was a big factor. We were like, we need to get down to the south where where he could play real baseball year round.

Bobby Minor: Yeah. And Trina, I don't know if if somebody's done this already. They probably have, but if not, you should talk to talk to Kim Kardashian and do a Dance Mom's spinoff. So

Joey Taylor: Yeah.

Trina: boy, have I seen it all there too?

Bobby Minor: yeah. People don't realize, you know, like out like I talk about baseball, obviously. You're you know, y'all are on a baseball show, but there are crazy parents. It doesn't mat dance, cheer, soccer, you know, lacrosse, you ne hockey, you know, you name it. There are a lot of crazy parents everywhere. So

Trina: yeah.

Joey Taylor: So Kim Kardashian has kids that play in like the national travel soccer world and some basketball too.

Bobby Minor: Mm. Yeah.

Joey Taylor: So her her and her best friend Natalie, that's how they came up with this concept. Cause they were like, These parents are insane. They're over the top parent. These parents are So they didn't know that they were gonna do a baseball. They didn't know Team Moms was going to be baseball until casting. I I heard that they were in Arizona and Texas and Florida and they had different sports that they were zooming with and seeing what they wanted, you know. and ultimately they chose they chose us with baseball and legendary prep.

Bobby Minor: Okay. So have y'all met Kim Kardashian?

Trina: She was very involved in the project, like along the way. We heard a lot from her. we've met Natalie a a few times and then Natalie was there at the Dodgers game with us this weekend, which was awesome. But Kim did FaceTime us, so we all got to talk with her and have a long conversation and hear how proud she was of us and just how the show's doing and stuff like that. So it was pr it was awesome.

Bobby Minor: That's awesome. so as parents, what's something that you thought Jet needed early in this baseball journey that you see differently now? And like like tell me like so what happened that changed your mind? And the reason I ask, because there's probably a parent out there that's gonna watch this or listen to this that's probably trying to figure out the same thing.

Joey Taylor: Yeah, I mean, for us, like being in the Northwest and moving down down here to Arizona. you know, you like I said, you you have in your mind as a parent that you want your kid to get better and he's telling you, hey, I want to focus on baseball and get better. And you think about like pitching lessons and hitting lessons and fielding lessons and then Okay, how do we get the eye hand, eye foot coordination right? Right with speed and agility stuff. You think about all those things and then getting stronger. When's the right time to focus on lifting and nutrition? You think about all those things. And so when we found out about legendary prep, it wraps all that up in into one thing, right? So for us, it it was a no-brainer. hey, let's wrap all these things up into one. And to see the progression on The strength and the exit velocity side of things. to see that happening, we know it's a direct result of being in that academy and and grinding his ass off day in and day out. One thing we're always concerned about is burnout. So that's a conversation that I have always with Jet. So, hey man, I don't want to burn you out. If you ever need a little break, let us know. We try to go on family vacations and that's why he went on the kayak scene, you know, and he didn't have to go do that. Like, let's get

Bobby Minor: You must have been reading my mind. I I wanted to bring up kayaking, but I'm like, bite your tongue, Bobby, bite your tongue. Yeah.

Trina: Ha ha

Joey Taylor: Yeah, and it's like, yeah, we we gotta let the kids have some fun. We let Jed do a lot of normal teenager stuff, you know. We're we're totally letting him be a kid. But when he comes home, like the other day he came home, it was hot out down here in Arizona. We're still getting into the hundreds some of these days, and he pulls his net out and his T out with his wood bat and he's he's banging balls oppo into the net, just oppo and oppo and oppo. Without telling me about it, he's not trying to film it. He's just out there doing it. So I went out there and was BSing with him. And little things like that show me he's not burnt out. Like he cares about getting better. He loves, loves the game. And so while he still has that passion, we're gonna support him and be behind him and let him pursue that goal of trying to make it to be a college baseball player.

Trina: Yeah, and I think too, like Jet really has taken a lot of pride in learning from Josh, their strength and conditioning coach about like nutrition and stuff like that. So now he's very much he really wants to build more muscle and and get stronger. And so he has like a goal and he'll he that kid can cook a steak like you have not even seen. But he's really dialing in his like nutrition where he's like, I need you know, can I have a protein shake before I go to school this morning? Like so I I love seeing him take that on himself a little bit like Just having a little more pride in what he needs to do to fuel his body.

Bobby Minor: That's really good. I I talk a lot about for parents to understand that at some point, like your son has got to want love it and want it more than you want it for him. Because if that doesn't happen, it's it's not gonna happen. Like and so it sounds like Jed is like taking ownership of his, you know, of his journey. And I'll tell you this, I asked my son. So my son, he's a red shirt junior this year. So fourth year playing college baseball, but he's a junior and he's playing at a D2 school out in West Texas. And when he was home for winter break, I asked him last year, I was like, okay, obviously I feel like I've done a lot of good things as your dad, because you're playing baseball in college, you know, most of it covered by scholarships and things like that. But I said, Is there anything that you that you wish I would have done differently? And he goes, Man, I wish that we would have started not on not on weight training necessarily when he was younger, but starting on like speed and agility and explosiveness sooner. And then focus on just getting bigger, faster, stronger. And it's parents need to listen to that because they spend so much time, you know, in the cages, you know, banging balls, which is not always a bad thing, but they focus so much on that. The greatest the best thing that you can do for your son that's gonna prepare him for varsity baseball and then baseball beyond high school is help helping him be as athletic as possible and and just getting bigger, faster, stronger.

Joey Taylor: Yeah, and that's well, that's one other thing for us too that I'll mention is with this whole reality show and dealing with the Little League World Series Love and Hate Two, is preparing Jet mentally, right, to be able to deal with adversity. I think that's really important. a lot of these players that are pretty darn good, that grew quick, got big quick, and they're naturally throwing hard and and hitting hard. Lot of those kids don't deal with adversity. And so I feel like this show for us is like, hey, yeah, now we're dealing with some adversity. And I think that's good for Jet to overcome some of that adversity. Now now he's in high school. He's on the JV team at LPA. You know, they've they've got a middle school team, a freshman team, a J V team, and a varsity team. And he's on that J V team. And, you know, he's gone through some success and struggles so far this fall. And, you know, we're we're dealing with that adversity, right? but now he's He's playing with the the big dogs, the older kids. And eventually he wants to get on to varsity. And, you know, he's a he's a freshman this year. So that's the goal. But he's dealing with adversity. We love it, right? He doesn't need to be the best kid on the team right now. Like he's learning from these older dudes and he's he's getting better every day.

Bobby Minor: No, that's awesome. similar path to my son. Julian was a freshman. He was one of two freshmen on JV, and then that was the COVID year, so it got got squashed really quickly, and then sophomore year, him and another kid were the only two sophomores on varsity. So definitely a great path. So, all right, one last question, and then I'll let you I'll give we'll I'll ask where people can follow you and find you and all that. Joey versus Trina, one on one and pickleball. Who wins?

Joey Taylor: I'll let you answer that, Trina.

Trina: Joey. Joey. Joey is very good at pickleball. We have a pickleball courts here in our neighborhood, and so they have teams and Joey was on the A team. When I did play on the team, I was on the B team. But that was my first year ever playing. Joey's played racco he's a really good racquetball player, so he's got a little more in his corner than I do for sure. I think if I did it a little more, I I probably could get to that point of whooping his ass though.

Joey Taylor: So as you can see on that last episode you're talking about when we were playing pickleball, she rips her wig off. We thought we were gonna beat John and Mel's ass and and they beat us. And yeah, Trina, as you could see, is very competitive. So am I, obviously, as you can see. So I I think that carried over to our to our kids as well. Presley's got it in her and so does Jet. But yeah, I I think I'm the better pickleball player. If she kept playing as often as she used to, we would have won for sure. But you know it It wouldn't have made for the whole the whole wigpole thing that was funny to watch.

Bobby Minor: That was that was pretty epic. So, Trina, did you play any sports in high school or growing up?

Trina: No, I didn't. I just did cheerleading. So I think that my

Bobby Minor: Okay.

Trina: daughter our daughter got that maybe from my side for sure.

Bobby Minor: Okay. So anybody that wants to buy the walk sucks hats, anybody wants to follow you on social media, let them know where to find that. And then let's talk just for a second about your podcast.

Joey Taylor: Yeah, yeah, the Walk Sucks has its own Instagram page, Walks Suck Official. and then you know, obviously our own socials, Joey Taylor Official on Instagram is mine. And Bleachers and Bullshit is our podcast. So it's something that so Tommy from the show is my best bud, him and his wife Aaron, and then Trina and I. Yeah.

Bobby Minor: Yeah. I couldn't tell. I couldn't tell that y'all were that close on the show.

Trina: The the bromance is real.

Joey Taylor: Yeah, so we We had talked during filming, like we gotta do something fun with this and like let's start a podcast. So, you know, I'm retired, I've got some time on my hands. So I just nerded out with Chat GPT and figured out how to get this whole setup done. And yeah, we've been filming bleachers and bullshits. We're getting some good, some good content and some some good people to join the show. And you know, we do a little bit of recapping team mom stuff, which a lot of people like. But then, you know, kind of like what you're doing, we're recapping some stuff in this the youth sports world, but You know, it's it's kind of our rated. We're cussing a lot and we'll we have some drinks here and there, but we're just kind of talking about all the bullshit in the bleachers, like the real stuff that's going down because it it just doesn't get shared nationally. But there's so many stories out there. And then we live these kind of crazy lifestyles down here. It's fun to share it with with everybody and the audience of of what we've got going on, what we see out there.

Bobby Minor: And Trina, what about your your social media? Instagram?

Trina: Yeah, it's Mrs. Trina Taylor and I'm on TikTok, I think, as well. I can't remember my handle off that, but yeah, you can follow me. I post a lot of content, usually daily, I'll post a little something fun. So yeah, come find us for sure.

Bobby Minor: and so podcast episodes, how often are you dropping new episodes?

Joey Taylor: We drop a new episode every Friday. So yeah, we're actually Daddy Ball University is coming on. He'll zoom in today and we'll be we'll be filming with him. So that'll be fun. But yeah, every Friday we drop an episode that's somewhere between 50 minutes and an hour.

Bobby Minor: Okay. Yeah, I you've had Darren Larson on, which you know, we both know Darren, great guy who never speaks his opinion.

Trina: Yeah.

Joey Taylor: Yeah, right. Yeah.

Bobby Minor: So he would've been he would have been good to mi have a cameo on T Moms.

Joey Taylor: you know, you know, I I used to coach alongside him a little bit here and there at new level and he

Bobby Minor: Yeah.

Joey Taylor: he's coached jet on some national teams too. And he he does not hold anything back. Yeah, he'd be he'd be gold on camera.

Bobby Minor: No. Yeah, I'm sure I'm sure Perfect Game wasn't happy when he came on my podcast, but it's all

Joey Taylor: Yeah.

Bobby Minor: good. I l I loved Aaron and Daddy Ball University. If you haven't seen it, you gotta go go to go to Daddy Ball's page, go to my Instagram and see our our reenactment of the Dad, you wanna have a catch scene from the Field of Dreams. We did that when we were there a week and a h almost two weeks ago at a baseball influencer event at the field of dreams. So Well guys, I really, really appreciate it. fingers crossed on season two. I wanted to ask this. This is one question I totally forgot that I wanted to ask. okay, Nina snooping around the Baldry's house. Did she do that on her own? Or was that something where where production may have prodded her to go to go snoop?

Joey Taylor: Yeah, I I'll say I don't know a hundred percent sh for sure, but you know, you gotta think we've we've got like f five producers on each scene, bunch of cameras and stuff everywhere. And I think the whole situation with the house and stuff was very, you know, it was very awkward for everybody. And I'm sure there was a little bit of influence. Like, have you guys gone and checked, looked around? And she did ask for a tour, and then when it was like shut down, as you can see on TV, I think that's when You know, producers may have may have nudged her a little bit and said, Yeah, we'll follow you, you know. And so, yeah, I I don't know a hundred percent, but that's what it looked like from my perspective.

Bobby Minor: Trina, any tea anything?

Trina: Yeah, I don't I don't I don't really know, but I mean, I don't know if you know, but Nina's actually a really good friend of mine now. So I didn't even know that she even went and did the house tour. I think I was too busy trying to refill a cup and and get something

Joey Taylor: Yeah.

Trina: to drink. But yeah, I didn't even know that that scene even had happened. So seeing it watching it play out, I was like, my gosh. So I'll have to ask Nina that for sure. I don't I don't really know the true answer to that.

Bobby Minor: Here. You're you're too busy learning about wine in Italy to

Trina: All the villages.

Bobby Minor: do. No, I'm gonna tell you this. My my wife and I were watching that because my wife's half Dominican, half Puerto Rican. If some if my wife said no house tours and she found somebody doing that, it there would have been a lot more than just throwing wigs and everything going on. So

Joey Taylor: Yeah.

Bobby Minor: so I'm hoping, I'm hoping I want to give Nina the benefit of the doubt and hope that production somehow encouraged her to do that. Because it would make for really good TV and she just didn't do that on her own. So anyway, so Joey and Trina, I appreciate it more than you know. Good luck to to both of you. Hopefully season two and good luck to Jet.

Joey Taylor: Yeah, thanks a lot.

Trina: well, thank you, Bobby.

Joey Taylor: Thanks, Bobby. Keep doing your content, man. It's great.

Bobby Minor: All right.