Goat Post: Issue 13

On a Monday in December of 2022, a college kid from California could have been kicking back somewhere else, talking to anyone who’d listen about the previous day’s snowy Dolphins-Bills game. Did you see that Buffalo comeback? Josh Allen was nails.

We were in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the start of another work week, the lead up to holiday hibernation. That’s when and where Eugene Bleecker, the guru behind 108 Performance, introduced me to that two-way college baseball player from Orange County.

It’s not that Paul Skenes didn’t care about what goes on miles and mountains away, it’s just that he was on a business trip. Paul showed the kind of decisiveness and intention that makes even Eugene’s mustache smile.

“He could be President of the United States,” Eugene would say — and mean it. “Whatever he sets his mind to be, that’s what Paul Skenes can become.”

We wouldn’t necessarily wish the Oval Office on him, to be honest. But come to think of it, whether you take him on from the right or left, Paul absolutely dominates.

It wasn’t always that way. Paul played high school ball at El Toro High, where Nolan Arenado and Matt Chapman were goats first. From there, Paul got the chance to play for the Air Force Academy. His ascent was a lot like that of our fiercest jets.

How and why? First, because he’s wired to win and doesn’t share his passcode with stupidity or distractions. Paul is living proof that true supporters and mentors matter.

When we met, Paul was about to pitch for LSU. He hadn’t won the College World Series. He hadn’t been introduced by a friend to Livvy Dunne. He hadn’t been drafted No. 1 by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hadn’t won Rookie of the Year or — knock wood — become the club’s third ever Cy Young gunslinger.

No, he was just on winter break and working out with a 108 Performance water bag, absorbing every syllable of wisdom Eugene and his team had to share. The attention to detail was there. The thirst for preparation was obvious.

Paul wasn’t just doing as he was told. He was processing so everything worthwhile he saw and heard could be applied to his plan of attack.

Then he conquered, one breath, practice, pitch, game and off day at a time.

This is what we look for at Goatnet. Paul and Livvy, sure. Better yet, Eugene, the 108 staff, the thousands of players and coaches who benefit from what they bring to every party. Just look at Eugene from the moment Paul got picked in the Draft.

He knew Paul would become Must Skenes TV and a PNC Park attraction as jaw dropping as the beautiful ball yard itself.

That isn’t all. To credential Paul on Goatnet, it means amplification of his network, from coaches to teammates, to family, his significant other, opponents and those he endorses.

Just make no mistake. What he stands for now is what he stood for on that leaves-off-the-trees schlep to Tennessee. Focus. Belief. Actions.

“There’s no excuse to not have a 1,000-year-old mind,” Paul tells kids. “Learn. Read. Whatever it is, try to be the best. There’s no excuse to let somebody else work harder than you.

“You’re really competing against yourself. Get better every day, to mature, to think better. Be more efficient. Moving. Thinking.”

Paul struck out eight in six shutout innings against the Dodgers on Thursday, earning the win and advancing a powerful Cy Young case.

“Going for a sweep at home against arguably the best team in baseball, those are cool opportunities. You can’t take them for granted.

“It comes down to pitching well. I’ve got four or five starts left” this year. “I don’t want to leave anything out on the field going into the offseason.”

Then again, remember, Paul spends his offseasons showing up, keeping sharp, mixing it up with one mission. The next performance.

“He is getting better almost every pitch,” Eugene said. “You can’t put a ceiling on him—nothing that he might accomplish will surprise me.”

Eugene has worked with Paul for eight-plus years, assisting with and often marveling in Paul’s rise from promising catcher not fully grown to a 6-foot-6 mountain of a man who planted his flag on a mound and decided to thrive on that hill.

“With Paul, I saw something during the first or second year that he was just different. He just did everything he was supposed to do to get the best of his ability.”

@goatnetbleats

Paul Skenes fastball AND aura is 💯 #paulskenes #baseballlife #baseballszn #livvydunne

Whenever. Wherever. Whatever it takes.

We segue from Paul Skenes to what every great starting pitcher in this day and age deserves.

The mother of all bullpens.

We set up our W this week with a true goat post about filtering out ignoramuses.

It’s from the loving, informed, spot-on reaction of a bravo Baseball Mom and faithful soul, in a “note to all the moms.”

Take it from here Leslee Holliday:

All heart. Every day.

P.S.

Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but a rising goat named Euri Cedeño stayed undefeated last night.

Goat Big!