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00:00February 15th and Sunday, February 16th, we'll have the Celebrity Pickleball Bash.
00:09And a number of local celebrities will be there, like Brandi Chastain, Chris Mullen,
00:13Terrell Owens, and our next guest, Hunter Pence.
00:17Whenever there's a good time, you're there, Hunter.
00:20That's what I've noticed about you.
00:21Well, I appreciate that.
00:24You know what?
00:25I'm very fortunate.
00:26There's a lot of good times to be had out here, and this is one of them, the Celebrity
00:29Pickleball Bash.
00:32It's going to be a good time.
00:33You know what?
00:34Come out and heckle me a little bit, because I haven't practiced enough.
00:37I've got like a month to train, and I've got to get to work, but I am excited to have this
00:42opportunity to take on the likes of a Chris Mullen or a Terrell Owens and a Brandi Chastain.
00:48Maybe she's my teammate.
00:49We'll see.
00:50If you need to sharpen your game, I don't know how well you know Eric Burns or if you
00:54see him on social media, but he is an absolute pickleball junkie, and he plays for keeps,
01:00so once you get the pickleball bug, Hunter, it's tough to put that paddle down now.
01:05Yeah, it's really fun, and I've played a little bit of the paddle or padel.
01:10I don't know how you pronounce it exactly as well, which is pretty fun where you can
01:13kind of ricochet it a bit.
01:14I did actually, so in about the four times that I've played pickleball, probably the
01:19most fun I had was with Burns.
01:22It was, you know, cause you're rallying with some with your wife and stuff and that's fun
01:26and cute, but when you get to play with Burns and he's like full set, and this was before
01:30he went crazy.
01:31I think this actually is what tilted him because he was getting like beat by his son and like,
01:36you know, and he just was like not having it and now, I mean, he's like, I'm playing
01:40hours every day.
01:41Are you still practicing?
01:42I'm like, well, that was the only court that I, you know, have been around.
01:46So I got to get, I got to step my game up.
01:48No excuses.
01:49Uh, because you know, Mario Lopez, I can't be letting him get further in the tournament
01:53than me.
01:54So, you know, I got, I got to go, I got to go see my man Burns and get locked in.
01:58He's hilarious.
01:59Who's got more energy, you or Burns?
02:01Burns by far.
02:02I mean, it's like six in the morning, he's already run 10 miles and his, his toes are
02:06like fried.
02:07I don't know.
02:08And he's out there in the snow shirtless, uh, doing his, uh, his Burnsy snow report.
02:14So as much as you're crazy, he might be triple crazy, but I look forward to going to this
02:20in February out there at the Warfield because you know, all good athletes, T.O. and yourself
02:25and Mully, but pickleball is a game that kind of levels the playing field a little bit myself.
02:30Not a great athlete.
02:32I can still kind of survive on a pickleball court because there's only so much athleticism,
02:36right?
02:37That you can employ out there.
02:38Yeah, it's a technical game and, and you know, people that have played tennis or whatever
02:43seem to be really nasty at it.
02:45Uh, you know, I, I definitely need to do my practice cause I've gotten embarrassed by
02:49plenty of, uh, you know, fellows that were quite a bit older than me and, and you know,
02:54the athleticism can't carry you in this game.
02:56You gotta have, you gotta know what you're doing.
02:58You gotta, you know, have the technicality, the hand eye skills.
03:01And so, um, yeah, it, it really is one of those quick to pick up, but that takes a while
03:06to master.
03:07Uh, so there it is.
03:08All right, Hunter, let's, uh, let's talk about, uh, Willie Adamas and, and a bunch
03:25of other things going on with the San Francisco Giants.
03:28I wonder what your reaction is to the start of the Buster Posey era and at least what
03:33seems like not just a focus on good baseball players, but a certain type of baseball player.
03:39What, what, what do you think so far?
03:40Yeah.
03:41I mean, Willie Adamas is obviously we just got a lot better, you know, and, and the Giants
03:46were saying that they wanted to address shortstop.
03:49Um, you know, you were, some people were thinking they were going to get, um, who was it?
03:54The guy from the Padres and Hassan Kim.
03:57Yeah.
03:58Hassan Kim.
03:59That's, that's, that's the one.
04:00But Willie Adamas is kind of the, you know, he's the biggest shortstop on the market and
04:04guy hit 30 home runs last year.
04:05He's a, he's a, he's had just such a beautiful approach, um, you know, for so many years.
04:11And, uh, I got to meet him actually.
04:13I ran into him coincidentally when he was walking around Oracle park, uh, as he was
04:17signing his contract, doing the physical and what a bright young man, the enthusiasm, the
04:22energy, the excitement to be here and the excitement to play for Buster.
04:26He mentioned that to me.
04:27And I think he said it on the radio as well, that, you know, Buster and, and his belief
04:31in him and the vision, um, is a big reason that he came to San Francisco.
04:35So we're landing some big names, you know, we got Matt Chapman, obviously I think everyone
04:40is really, um, you know, focused on Corbin Burns right now to replace the loss of Snell
04:45and what Corbin Burns has done is, has been absolutely incredible over the last six years
04:50that, uh, you know, for the most part, he's been in the Cy Young caliber, uh, Cy Young
04:55race every single year.
04:57So the fact that he wants to come here as well, I think the Buster effect is starting
05:01to take its course.
05:02Yeah.
05:03The Buster effect is, has been incredible.
05:05And that's something that, uh, I wonder if, you know, not to disparage the previous regime,
05:10but how much of that does carry over into the clubhouse and throughout the team where
05:15you've got a probable hall of famer running things.
05:19And in general, it feels like the organization is, is maybe more on the same page now, does
05:23that stuff really trickle down to the players even during the off season?
05:28Um, yes, it definitely, it definitely trickles down and, and, and like you said, nothing
05:34against the last regime, they're very smart and, um, you know, and there's a lot of creative
05:38thinking there and, uh, but you know, you still, as a player knowing someone that's,
05:42that's been there, that's, that's walk the walk as a player understands that side of
05:46things, understands what you need to have the best opportunity, but also the standard
05:50that he sets of accountability because he has done it.
05:54And he can, you know, you know, he has walked in your shoes.
05:56So you're, you're looking eye to eye and, and that accountability goes a long way.
06:00Um, and I think it's, it makes a big difference.
06:03And the fact that he does understand, he's going to get you the tools you need because
06:06he's, he's, he knows what, what it takes.
06:09And not only did he play and play for a long time, play at a hall of fame caliber level,
06:13um, one of the best catchers to ever play the game, if you ask me, but also one of the
06:17greatest leaders and, and just world series champion MVP rookie of the year, you name
06:23it, he's done it.
06:24And he obviously loves the game because he did not have to take on this job.
06:28So he's here because he cares because he loves it.
06:31And that's it.
06:32That's exciting to get behind it.
06:33I know if I was a player, um, it was awesome to get an opportunity to play for GMs that
06:39had that edge.
06:40I know Sabian, the way he went about it, um, was just, you felt that he understood what
06:44you needed and it, and he also, um, had an intense amount of accountability.
06:49He would call you into the office if you weren't getting the job done and be like, look, what
06:52do you need?
06:53What's going wrong?
06:54How can we get you there?
06:55Cause you got to be better than this.
06:56And that's really powerful to have someone that will, will look you in the eye and tell
07:00you the truth and, and, and, and ask how they can help as well.
07:03Hunter Pence with us on Willard and Debs, Hunter, you had me excited cause I know you're
07:07in the know and, and, and, and, you know, I know we all know the Corbin Burns rumors,
07:13but I think I heard you just say that, that you know that Corbin Burns quote wants to
07:18be here.
07:19What, what's, what's your analysis of this situation right now?
07:23Well, I guess I say that we got to take that, you know, I haven't heard from Corbin Burns
07:27myself.
07:28It's, it's through just reading the different articles that there's whispers of that, uh,
07:32from what I've read, uh, you know, Buster also said that they had a good talk, but once
07:37again, um, you know, until, until a deal is signed in baseball, um, all of this can be
07:42used as leverage to other teams and, and who knows what, like I said, we're holding our
07:46breath, uh, because you know, landing or a Corbin Burns, uh, you know, uh, the Rocky
07:52Sasaki, one of these, these caliber pitchers, when we have so many young pitchers that are
07:58on the cusp of becoming great, um, and, and then last month of the season, I don't care
08:02what anyone says.
08:03If we were in the playoffs, we had as good a shot as anyone.
08:06No one wanted to see when we were running out, Logan Webb, Blake Snell, and, and some
08:10of these young guys in the lineup all got locked in and healthy.
08:13The last month of the season, we went and destroyed Baltimore.
08:16We went and swept Kansas city at their place while they were trying to make the playoffs.
08:22We knocked the diamondbacks out of the playoffs as well.
08:24So I just, I saw the caliber.
08:26This is the, you know, the team that we had, the talent that we had put together, if it
08:30at all, you know, and, and, and these things happen and there's excuses, but it, the team
08:34that you saw going into spring train was like, it was easy to believe that we were going
08:37to be in the post season.
08:39And obviously that didn't happen last year and it was a disappointment, but it wasn't
08:42because of the talent and we had people step up like Ramos.
08:45So right now we have a window, if you ask me, and I'm very excited about bird song as
08:51well of this young elite pitching, that's about to start becoming, you know, becoming
08:57the dudes same with, with, with Kyle Harrison there's a, there's a couple of these guys
09:03that are going to really push the envelope and we have the weapons that you need with
09:06regards to deep pitching in the backend as well, a bullpen that's coming together with
09:10Ryan Walker.
09:11I hope that Dovall gets right, because if he gets back, right, and we have that with
09:14Ryan Walker, add one more piece and look out because the, the, the writing's on the wall,
09:19the talent's there and we have young talent that's electric that we haven't seen in a
09:23long time.
09:24A hundred pence here on 95, 70 games.
09:26So if you do land Corbin Burns, in your opinion, does that kind of end what this team needs
09:32to do in the off season outside of maybe an additional bullpen arm or some, some depth
09:37in the outfield?
09:38Would you feel good about this Giants team going into next year if they landed Burns
09:42and that's it?
09:43Yes, I would feel extraordinary.
09:47And don't forget, you know, Joe Lee coming back is going to be massive.
09:50And I think it was terrible to see him not get that full year under his belt, but you
09:55are, you can already see the elite level of movement, the defense, the at bats, the hand
09:59eye coordination.
10:00This is just a, a really, really gifted athlete and it's going to be so fun to watch him play
10:06healthy for a full season.
10:08Grant McCrae, probably speed power combo.
10:10If he can make some small adjustments, he can change games just with a walk.
10:14So we have, like I said, some, some young talent that I haven't seen the likes of that
10:19are going to make their Mark on this game and have the potential to do big, big things.
10:24And you know, with the leadership of, of Bob Melvin, Pat Burrell and the likes, you know,
10:29JP Martinez, I love him as the pitching guy as well.
10:33And you know, you have Maddie Chapman, you got now Willie Adonis, the left side sealed
10:36up.
10:37It's a deep lineup.
10:38Lamont Wade jr.
10:39Is going to give you an at bat and yeah, the outfield depth is, you know, it, it, it, to
10:44me when he had McCray, he had, he has, he had, um, John who Leah it's solid, but yeah,
10:50I could see maybe adding one more bat, but Ramo, I'm also forgetting Ramos who was our
10:55all-star last year.
10:56Hunter Pence with us at Hunter.
10:58I also look, and this isn't just giants, this goes to all the teams, you know, the Warriors
11:03have made some acquisitions recently, uh, even this week where, um, players have come
11:08in and said, I really love the city of San Francisco, Willie Adonis said it, and he wanted
11:13to be here.
11:14This conversation.
11:15And you're a perfect guy to ask because you've just accepted this city as your own.
11:20This conversation that got going over the last couple of years about people not wanting
11:24to be a giant or not wanting to be near the city of San Francisco, a, do you think that
11:29got out of hand and B, is it finally in the rear view mirror?
11:34I definitely think it's in the rear view mirror.
11:36I think, you know, the, we've made a lot of adjustments and, and there was a time where,
11:40I mean, 2020 happened and a lot of things happen in, um, San Francisco, one of the greatest
11:45cities in the world.
11:46One of the, you know, uh, the world changes from here.
11:49We have some of the most beautiful landscapes, beautiful architecture, beautiful companies,
11:53great people, uh, creative people.
11:56And um, yeah, you know, we went through a little bit of a rut and, and you could say
12:00maybe they use that as an excuse or whatever, but, um, cities go through this and it, and
12:05the, the wave is coming back just like, you know, there's a, there's a, there's a down
12:09and an up and, and the wave is coming back.
12:11And I think everyone's starting to see that a little bit later than it happened the last
12:15year.
12:16It's been really nice.
12:17Like I said, like you said, I live in the heartbeat of it.
12:18I'm in the middle of the city, I'm walking the streets every day and, and you know, we're
12:22back and I think there's a lot of energy and excitement to, um, you know, a, what, you
12:27know, buster coming on, uh, what the Niners have done in the, in the past couple of years,
12:32making a couple of super bowls, the warriors championships.
12:35Now the city's back thriving.
12:36It's on the up and up.
12:37Things are feeling much safer and you know, we, we had our low point, but we did what
12:42every great city and every great person does is we responded and there's been a lot of
12:46movement within, um, the infrastructure of the, you know, uh, of, of the local, I guess
12:52politics, but also, yeah, just the city has bounced back.
12:55The leaders of the businesses have stepped in, they've created all sorts of nonprofits
12:59that I've been, uh, you know, we, yes, to SF and a lot of these great other companies
13:04around here, you know, picking up trash, planting trees, uh, you know, inducing policy to keep
13:09the bay clean, inducing policy to keep us safe in the streets.
13:12Cause that's all you need to, if you feel safe and we feel clean, um, the city is the
13:16city.
13:17It's the best in the world.
13:18Hunter, you're the best man.
13:19Thank you so much.
13:20And again, we're going to send people your way.
13:22It is coming up February 15th and 16th, the celebrity pickleball bash tickets at celebrity
13:28pickleball bash.com and they start at 49 bucks and we thank you for coming on, ma'am.
13:33Thank y'all for having me.
13:35Always a pleasure.