FoosTalk Live | Ep 299 | Kora and Kelton Grizzle
Foosball RadioMay 18, 202601:11:3549.19 MB

FoosTalk Live | Ep 299 | Kora and Kelton Grizzle

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Kora and Kelton Grizzle-sister and brother-share a love of foosball. Even in their early teens, they are rising stars in the next generation of foosball. They joined us from Crane's Clubhouse in St. Louis for a spirited discussion on this episode of FoosTalk Live.

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    [00:00:01] The following is a presentation of Foosball Radio. It's FoosTalk Live. Are you talking to me? Compelling and lively banter. Are you going to talk to us? Talking Foosball. Foosball was how I measured my value as a man? You took that away! Players and fans, promoters and pros. Unedited and raw. Talk, talk, talk. Living in the moment. We have a lot of important things to talk about. All while practicing social distancing. Cool, we'll talk, no big whoop. Let's get this thing started.

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    [00:01:49] Designed and handcrafted in Germany, order online and have it delivered to your door. Visit www.original-leonhardt-usa.com and use promo code FOOSTALK to save 10% off your purchase price. We're live once again. Back on Foos Talk Live, episode number 299. One away from 300 episodes.

    [00:02:18] Hey there, it's Tom Robinson. Thanks for joining us tonight on Twitch TV. Let's see, it's 73 degrees and clear outside the studios here at Foos Talk Live. And I have a feeling it's just as warm, if not warmer, in the great state of Alabama. Of course, the guy we always love to talk about foosball with, right there. Smiling. Got that bright face. Welcome once again to Randy Raposo. What's up, Randy? Hey, Tom.

    [00:02:47] It was 90 today, buddy. I don't want to outshine you, and I don't make the weather, but it was a really pretty day today. Yeah. We actually got out and went for a walk. I don't do that. Okay. Today we went for a walk. So yeah, it was a nice Sunday. Good weather. It's a good day to be outside. Was it? It was. Yeah. I mean, here in the Northeast, the snow has finally melted, and I had to cut the grass for the first time today.

    [00:03:16] So, of course, my neighbors were kind of getting my case. It's like, what are you growing crops there? What's going on there? Could your electric mower handle your grass? Wonderfully. Wonderfully. No issue whatsoever. Okay. All right. Okay. Electric all the way. All right. No smell of, no fuel on my hands. I love the smell of gas, Tom. I know you do. The way it makes my head feel when I just sit there and, oh, gas.

    [00:03:45] It's your living, isn't it? I mean, it's how you make your living. I make money a lot of ways. That's just one of them. But yeah, it's a good time. And then big episode, 299, and then, of course, 300. It's kind of funny that 300 falls next week. You're going to be in Texas, right? Yep. Texas State. Be in Dallas, DFW, of course, the Westin there. It's the World Series, the World Series of Tornado plus Texas State combined yet again.

    [00:04:16] ITSF is coming back across the pond to do this big tournament. It's going to be fun. I think, you know, I was talking to Tommy Yor this last week, and he's psyched. He and Dana are going to be there along with a good amount of Masters. I know Sammy is also going to be there. He hates being called Sammy, by the way. Sam Dijon is going to be there as one of the other Masters. And I think Brandon Munoz and a few other guys are going to be there as well. Some really great players.

    [00:04:46] So we're looking forward to that gathering at the Westin. Yeah. My only hope here is that, you know, the weather behaves. It seems like, you know, Memorial Day weekend is kind of notorious, especially in Dallas for, I don't know, a couple tornadoes here and there, just for good measure. I think the only tornadoes you're going to see are in the ballroom at the Westin. Exactly. I think you'll be fine. Yep, yep, yep.

    [00:05:15] It's, yeah. But I like the way that, you know, episode 300, you know, 300 in coincides with one of the biggest tournaments in the country. And, you know, you're going to be there. Hopefully it's all just going to be great. I mean, I know the tournament's going to be good. Hopefully everything just works out nice and smooth. So, but for us here, you know, we've been highlighting our junior players, some of our up-and-comers this month. Yeah, yeah.

    [00:05:44] And tonight we've got a brother and sister duo from St. Louis. Yes. And some solid players. I actually got a chance to meet them at Wisconsin. And they were doing some damage there. So I'm really excited to talk to them and get to know them, Tom. Yeah, it's Cora and Kelton Grissel are there at Crane's Clubhouse.

    [00:06:09] We want to say a shout-out to Josh for making this happen today at Crane's Clubhouse for bringing these guys on. Hey, guys, what's up? Can you hear us? Yes, they can hear you. Nice. Very cool. Well, hey, first of all, Crane's Clubhouse, the address is Alton, Illinois, but it's actually the St. Louis scene. Is that not correct? Yeah. And so you guys live in Illinois or do you live in Missouri? Yeah.

    [00:06:41] We live in Illinois. You live in Illinois. Oh, okay. Gotcha. So we can't say you're from the great state of Missouri, but rather the great state of Illinois. Our mistake on this end. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. But so do you guys beat on all those St. Louis players? Yeah. That's good. That's good. That's good. That's good. So, okay.

    [00:07:08] So how long have, okay, we're going to start with ladies first, okay? Now, again, I'm making an assumption, but have you guys been, did you start playing about the same time? Or who started first? And how long have you guys been playing? I mean, we always mess around on the table since we were like kids because our dad played, but we never started taking it seriously until like a year ago. Okay.

    [00:07:32] So, let me ask, how old are you two? I'm 14 and I'm 13. 13 already? Wow. Okay. So about a year ago, you guys really started getting into it. And then now your dad, he brings you guys out obviously to cranes. So how many nights a week are you guys getting to compete? Only on some days. One night a week. Okay.

    [00:08:02] Sundays. So did you guys play already today? Was there a tournament today? Do you guys play? Yeah, there was singles. And we kind of just like messed around in three doubles. Cool. Who won? Derek won the singles. Derek McDermott? Yes. Yeah. Yeah, we met Derek. Yeah. Yeah, so who else was there?

    [00:08:32] Derek won singles. Who else was there? I wonder who else was there. Shelton Goss second. Okay. Doug Kramer was there. Okay. Cool. Nice. Kevin Gospring. Okay. And Kevin Packham was here. Nice. Okay. Well, nice. Nice. That's a good turnout. That's solid. Good for you guys. Good for you guys. Okay. So I saw you guys in Wisconsin. That's, I see.

    [00:09:02] I feel like that's when you guys hit. That's pretty close. What are the tournaments do you guys hit pretty regularly? Nationals. Okay. Nationals. What else have you guys been to? Michigan. You guys go to Michigan? They did. Last year. Yeah. Last year. Yeah. Yeah. In fact, Kelton and I had a chance to chat on the air at Great Lakes Classic. He and his dad, we had a really good chat. Nice interview.

    [00:09:31] And Kelton was very forthright about his goals. But we can find out more about that tonight. I want to know about that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So you guys got a table at the house you practice on? Yeah. Okay. So tell me, what does your practice look like? Like how many hours a day are you guys practicing? Tell me. I try and get out there as much as I can because my two little brothers are always playing on there. Uh-huh.

    [00:10:00] Uh-huh. What about you, Kelton? What do you got going on? I play like all night every day. All day every day. Nice. Nice. Good life. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Living the dream. So when you guys, you know, you had singles tonight. Did you guys run into each other? Did you have to play each other? Yeah, we did. And how'd that go? 17. What was that?

    [00:10:31] I won 7-2. Ooh. 7-2. 7-2. So it's a race to seven. Nice. Wow. It's Swiss. So is Big Sister taking it easy on you or are you just no mercy? Is that what it is? No mercy. No mercy. That's right. I like it. That's good. That's good. That's the philosophy. Just go for broke every single time. Every single ball. That's it, buddy. Yep. That's it.

    [00:10:59] So, Cora, let me ask you. Who's one of your biggest influences in foosball? Who's somebody you kind of look up to and try to marry a game after? Probably Jessa Safferman because he lives close but he's moving away. And she's just like a really good women's player. Yeah. Mm. Mm. Yeah. Yeah. Jess. Jess. Multi-time world champ. She's awesome. Super. Jess is so nice. She's really good.

    [00:11:28] Really, really good player. Great lady player. Great foosball player. But, you know, you guys are lucky. You got two top fives in your area between Jessica and Paul. So, you know, you guys got some good players. That's for sure. To look up to. What about you, Kelton? No, I'm going to look up to, like, every master. That's what they do. And it's kind of like, thanks for my game off the wall. Nice. Yeah. Very cool. You got one in particular? You got a favorite?

    [00:11:59] Munoz. Munoz. Munoz. Yeah. Brandon Munoz. Nice. Yeah, he's pretty good. He's okay. It's all about fast hands with Brandon. So, I got to say, Kelton, I know when we talked last time, we were chatting about your goals in foosball. And I think I asked you a silly question because the way you responded, I asked if you were, you know, going to be a pro someday. You said, of course.

    [00:12:28] Is that still the case today? Answer. Yeah, I'm a rookie right now. And hoping to be a pro pretty soon. Nice. Wait, so you're 13, right? Let me see. How old was Sam when he turned pro? Sam was 13, right? Yep. Yep. Yeah, but Sam started when he was, like, in diapers. Yeah.

    [00:12:56] So, you know, if you hit it hard, man, and now, again, you're playing in a pretty good spot. You guys are, you're in a good scene. You're pretty close to other tournaments. You've got really good players there to teach you. So if you hit it, if you hit it hard, man, a couple of years, you could be right there. I've seen you on the table. You got a lot of skill, both of you. So, you know, you both could get there fast, especially at your age. And again, especially if you're playing all day, every day.

    [00:13:23] So, I definitely think that's a possibility. So, again, the practice is the big thing. If you're practicing a lot and you're practicing right, you know, you're coming out, you're competing. You got second in singles. That's good. What do you like more, singles or doubles? Singles. You like singles? What about you, Cora? Doubles.

    [00:13:53] You like doubles? Yeah. Me too. I'm more of a doubles player. Me too. I'm too lazy to play singles. It takes a lot of work. Singles is too much. A lot of work. A lot of effort. A lot of table awareness. But, Kelton, I mean, it sounds to me like you're ready to take on the world, dude. You're a fierce competitor, for sure. Yeah. So, are you guys – do you guys have any foosball club stuff going on?

    [00:14:23] Do you guys got anything at school? Or are you involved with anything with Foosball Clubs USA? My list all is trying to get tables in our school, but hopefully they will be in our school soon. Okay. Cool. Yeah. Are you guys – now let me ask you, are you guys – are you guys good students? You do your work? Yeah. Sometimes. Yeah? Sometimes. I had to think about that one. Well, no. That's the thing. The principal doesn't know who you are. Maybe you got to get in a little bit of trouble getting the principal's office

    [00:14:52] and then tell them, hey, if you want me to be a good student, get a foosball table in here and I'll be the best student you have. No, don't listen to me. I don't have any kids. So, I don't want your dad getting mad at me. But, no, it's definitely better if the principal doesn't know who you are. But, yeah, Michael Stahl, if he's trying to get tables in your school, then that's great. I think kids need tables in schools. That's pretty awesome. Yeah, it makes a difference. It makes a huge difference for sure.

    [00:15:22] Absolutely. Absolutely. Quick question for you, Cora. Just like to know, you play foosball pretty well, and you must have friends at school. What do they think about you playing foosball? Some make fun of me. My social studies teacher is always asking me about all the terms I go to. Really? Okay. Yes. And they make fun of you. Yeah, they like the room.

    [00:15:52] So, when they make fun of you, what you should do is say, hey, you want to take me on? I'll pay you, if you can beat me, I'll pay you five bucks. Well, it's like 20 series of people on the table in my school unit, and lots of people online. There you go. Yeah. There you go. Take their lunch money. That's right. That's it. That's it. I mean, the best thing about foosball is that it doesn't matter. You know, it doesn't matter your size, whatever the case. If you're skilled at the game,

    [00:16:21] you can take on the football team, for goodness sake. You know, it doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl. It doesn't matter what you do. Nope. That's it. The playing field is level. It's foosball. Anybody can be good at it. Mm-hmm. So, you got – okay. So, Corey, you're a good student. Kelton, you're an okay student. What do you guys – what about dreams and aspirations? What do you guys want to do? Corey, what do you want to be when you grow up? Like an architect or a lawyer? Ooh. A lawyer.

    [00:16:51] I like that. I'm a both. I always need a good lawyer. Architects work hard, too. But it's – you know, it's the lawyers that have to step in after the architects make mistakes. Correct. So, being both would be awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. What about you, Kelton? What do you want to do? Be a football player with many world titles. Nice.

    [00:17:22] We love hearing that, man. That's awesome. You know, and hopefully – hopefully by the time you get there, foosball will have taken off. And it'll be a globally renowned sport with multi-billion dollar sponsorships. Yep. And you can just make a living being one of the best players in the world. So, I hope that happens for you, bud. I really do. I think it could happen for you. I know you definitely have the skill to do it. So, yeah. Yeah.

    [00:17:51] That's good. Kelton, what is your favorite shot on the three-row? What do you like to shoot? The roller. Rollover. Nice. Okay. Push side, pull side. What are your strengths? Both. Both? Oh, he's got options. Yeah. That's right. Of course. You've got to have both sides, Tom. They've got to look the same. What about your middle? How's your middle, bud? That's what counts. Pretty good. Pretty good.

    [00:18:20] Yeah, that's good. As long as your middle's smooth, you've got to work a rock and middle. It's tough, you know. Everybody can hit the corners, but their middle looks different. You've got to make your middle look the same. So, we'll see. Next time I see you, we'll see how that middle's looking. So, what about you, Cora? What do you like to shoot? A push shot. Nice. Very cool. So, what do you think of Sullivan Rue's push shot? What do you like about that?

    [00:18:52] It's okay. It's okay. It's fast. It's fast. It's not the easiest thing to hit, that's for sure. But if you're good at it, I mean, it can be really devastating. No, you don't see a lot of good push shots. That's why. If you've got a good push shot, you can do some damage. So, again, it's that straight, Cora. You've got to have that straight. That straight sets everything up. So, how's your straight?

    [00:19:22] Good. Good. Yeah. They're not lacking confidence, Tom. Not at all. Not at all. I wish. Oh, good Lord, I wish. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, can you guys put in a good word for us there at Crane's Clubhouse? I mean, if Randy and I were to swing by there sometime, would you get us in? Would that be cool? Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's a goal for me.

    [00:19:52] I want to hit all these spots up, man. Yes. They're everywhere, and I want to hit them all up. And I know you guys got a good spot there. There's a few good ones. Shout out to Crane's, man. I know they're doing some junior stuff. They got some good stuff going. Just like Sam's Rocket Arcade is a place down in Louisiana that's got some good junior stuff happening.

    [00:20:13] You know, there's a lot of places in the country now that are really starting to help facilitate and create, you know, areas for juniors to really cultivate their game. And shout out to those promoters. So, you know, you guys are lucky, man. You're in a good spot. You got a place to play and really grow and learn. So, that's awesome. And we're thankful for you guys. So, you guys are going to nationals. That's what's next?

    [00:20:42] Yep. Yeah. That's actually not too far away. We're talking to the end of junior. You guys, when does school end for you both? This ended Friday. I end like this Friday. Oh, wow. So, you guys get out early. His just ended. Let's go, buddy. Yeah. Ready to rock. And you got another week, Cora. Yep. Nice. Let's go. Yeah, my wife's got another week. She's got tomorrow.

    [00:21:12] And then they got an E-Day Tuesday and Wednesday because the baseball team made it to the state championship. And then Thursday's the last day with kids if they come back. And then Friday is just, you know, straightening her room up. And then summer hits and she's ready to not do anything. So, you know, yeah. Yeah. Summertime. Good plan. Do nothing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

    [00:21:38] Well, you know, back in the 60s, and I have to say, you know, my school was only three doors down from where I live. But we had to go right through the end of June. It was June 22nd, 23rd, whatever, when our school would end. And then we'd have to go back on Labor Day. It's like, man, we got gypped. What's going on with that? No, no, no, Tom. See, because that's the thing. Like, they get out early here, but then they go back, like, the end of July, beginning of August. Oh, really? Okay. Well, I wasn't aware of that.

    [00:22:08] I thought maybe. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I thought it was the whole, you know, right up until September, man, you know. No. That's summertime. No. No. No. You know what they say. There ain't no cure for the summertime blues. I don't know what that means. I never understood it. But so what do you guys do in the summer? You guys, you got jobs. You lift weights. You, you know, you sell lemonade or you just play foosball. What do you guys do?

    [00:22:34] I go work at my grandpa's, like, little convenience store. Nice. Very cool. Nice. Nice. What about you, Kelton? You doing push-ups or you just play foosball? Hey, man. That's the answer. That is the answer right there. We're talking direct path to the pro. Direct path. This is it right here. This is the trail. And someday, by the way, Kelton, remember this because, you know, in four or five years,

    [00:23:02] by, you know, when you're looking back at these days, we're going to remind you that you told us in no uncertain terms you're going to be a pro. And, you know, by that time, I'm sure, who knows, maybe even master by that time. May 17th, 2026. Mark it on the calendar. That's where we heard officially on the air that Kelton is going to be a pro. And then, of course. Let's go. How far are you from amateur? I'm like 1,000 points.

    [00:23:32] Oh, okay. Okay. So you just turned rookie? Yeah. That's all right, buddy. Cool. You're up a level. Yeah. So, nice. You go knock it out. Now, let me ask you a question. Both of you, I want to ask. Kelton, I'm going to start with you. When you go to these tournaments, are you just playing rookie events and amateur events? Are you playing everything you can play? I'm playing all the way up to expert. All the way up to expert. Nice. Okay. Very cool. Okay. What about you, Cora?

    [00:23:58] I'm also playing rookie by play in some amateur events, open events. Okay. Very good. Yeah. Do you guys ever play mixed together? We're playing mixed at nationals. You two are playing together at nationals? Yeah. There you go. Let's go. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Look out. Yeah. Look, you guys, you have to, you know, if you want to get experience, you want to turn pro, you got to make sure you got to start playing, you know,

    [00:24:28] you got to start playing expert up. You got to get that experience and play these better players. That's how you're going to learn. So I know it's a lot. Again, when I was a rookie, I still remember my first worlds. I think I played, I played like 30 events or something. It's a lot of foosball. But, you know, you guys are young. You could do it. You can make it happen. So you got nationals coming up. You guys are playing mixed. Who else are you guys playing with? Are you guys, do you guys team up a lot or do you play with other players? What do you guys do?

    [00:24:57] We team up for a couple of things. Yeah. And then what do you do? You contract out. You got other partners. Cora, who else you play with? I'm playing with my dad and all my partners yet. So you're still looking. Yeah. All right. So if you're listening, you need a partner. You need a solid, solid goalie. We got quarters in the house. Put out the word. Kelton, what about you, buddy? Who you got?

    [00:25:25] I'm playing with Anna Domain for rookie. Nice. Very good. Sturgeon's point. I'm a partnership partner. Nice. Yeah. I know. I know. Anna, she's sweet, man. She's from Lafayette. She plays at Sam's Rocket Arcade. I know her dad and her mom. Sweet, sweet people. Good people. Anna's a really good player. She's an up-and-coming junior. So that's awesome. I wish you guys the best of luck. Hopefully, you guys can go take that down.

    [00:25:52] Obviously, I hope you don't run into your sister. I'm sorry. But... But... So Nationals, what about... What you guys got lined up for the rest of the year after Nationals? We're going to maybe go to Ohio State. Yeah. Well, I really want to go to Michigan this year because it's on my birthday. Oh, nice. Let's go. Very cool. Great Lakes Classic. Yeah. A little birthday present. Dad? Just letting you know. Dad?

    [00:26:22] Birthday present? Dad? Yeah. So, okay. So you got Nationals and Worlds lined up. Hopefully, Michigan. So you guys went to Wisconsin. So four for the year, hopefully. Fingers crossed. We're also going to try and go to Louisiana State. Louisiana State. Let's go. Five for the year. That's a good one. Yeah. That's really good. Yeah. Louisiana is good. Yeah. I love Louisiana. I usually go this year. Not a good foosball year for me, but that's okay.

    [00:26:52] So, dude. That's awesome, man. You guys are getting it in. And so, you've been in it about a year. You might play five tournaments this year. How many did you guys play last year? I don't know. Tell me. We went to Nationals. Yeah. Mississippi. I went. He did it.

    [00:27:21] And then we went to Michigan. And that's it last year. Nice. Yeah. Man, you guys are getting it in. Yeah. Nice. Now, I'm curious about the home front because I know that we've had conversations with people who have, you know, family who play. They're at home. Is there ever a time when you guys have like, who does the dishes or has to do chores? If you win, you get the day off from your chores. Has that ever happened for you guys?

    [00:27:50] Do you ever have that kind of... No? No. I wish. I wish. Yeah. I'm standing here. Not even if we beat your dad? I mean, you know, I would think that that would be the way to go. I mean, it would make you a better player faster, right? You want to get out of, I don't know, taking out the garbage or something. Yeah. Yeah. We should do that. We should do that. Oh, tell him you're setting him up. Nice. Nice.

    [00:28:20] I'll keep a whole profile from here on in when I am. Nice. So, I have a question for you guys. So, when you guys get in these matches and, you know, you're kind of getting into it, do you guys ever get nervous? You get nervous or worried or do you guys just have fun and play foosball? Like, what do you guys think about when you're playing?

    [00:28:43] I don't know when I play foosball, so it's just like, but it's like when I get, like, stress, I just try not to think about it. So, you don't get nervous going into matches or anything like that? Oh, I do. You do? Yeah. Why? Why do you think you get nervous? Probably because, like, I lost the match before that and I just kind of think, like, I don't really know.

    [00:29:13] You just get nervous? Yeah. That's not fun. What about you, Kelton? You ever get nervous? It, like, depends. Like, if it's, like, a big match or not. Mm-hmm. Interesting. Now, that's kind of telling because there may be certain matches you think, eh, I got this. Yes. So, was there ever a match, Kelton, you've gone into where you thought, man, these people are really good. I don't know if I can do this. I'm not sure it's going to happen.

    [00:29:43] But then you turn around and beat them? Was there already a match like that that you can think of? Uh, yeah. Actually, today, I'm going to stare at the Dermot. Nice. Thanks for your answer. You're Dermot. So, tell us about it. How'd it go? Yeah. Oh, he had me 4-0 in the first, but I came back and won it. Oh, wow.

    [00:30:12] And then we beat him 4-4 in the second game. 4-4, 5-4. Nice. Shut up. Shut up, Derek. Shut up, Derek. Yeah. Dude, 4-0. That's a big comeback. That's hard. Not a lot of people. I mean, dude, you really got to buckle down and come back from 4-0. That's big. That's fantastic. That's big. Yeah. Yeah, Derek's got to learn to close.

    [00:30:42] That's tough, dude. 4-0. Yeah. That's awesome. I also beat Brandon at TKO in the 4-2 now. You did? Really? Yeah. Oh, dude. Tell us about that. How did that go? I was nervous. I went into it, but I won the first, and then he won the second, and then I won the third. Nice. What did he say to you after that? Was he nice to you?

    [00:31:15] He was sort of mad. He was sort of mad? I know what he said. I know what he said. Did he say, did he say, ay, caramba? You're calling me? No? No? He didn't say that? I don't know. I just thought he might have said that. Anyway. Yeah. So, dude, that's a big win, buddy. That's huge. Yeah. That's a world champ. Future Hall of Famer. Knocking him down.

    [00:31:45] See? So, you were nervous against Brandon? Yeah. Why? You just whooped him. Why were you nervous? I didn't want to play like bad to embarrass myself. No. No. Foosball's supposed to be fun. If you always just think about it, if you always just think about worrying, like, if you just worry about having fun, you don't ever have to worry about embarrassing yourself. Foosball's supposed to be fun. If it's not fun, then you shouldn't do it. Yeah.

    [00:32:11] So, you know, getting nervous is like, that's just a natural emotion because you want to win. So, you put stress on yourself to do good. But as long as you're focused on having fun, you don't have to worry about stuff like that. Yeah. Especially being a young competitor, you know, you guys have an advantage. You get to go play and have a good time.

    [00:32:41] And you don't have to worry about anything but foosball. So, take advantage of this time. Go to these tournaments and soak it up. You know, ask questions. Learn as much as you can. Watch. Go home. Practice. And just, you know, just enjoy it because you're only going to be able to play like this for so long. You know, I'm old. I mean, I'm not as old as Tom, but I'm old. I knew that was coming. And my body doesn't work like I want it to sometimes.

    [00:33:11] So, you know, I wish I had a 14-year-old arm, but I don't. So, you guys enjoy this time. Play foosball all day, every day. Love it. Enjoy it. So, nice. Good for you. Good for you. Derek, you got lucky. You got lucky tonight, Derek. I can tell you got lucky. That's it. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Second thing was awesome. Hey. This guy. This guy. Yeah. Oh, boy. Well, hey.

    [00:33:38] I got to say, you guys, when we're out and about, we're on the tour, we'll be looking for you. And we'll be standing in your corner watching you play. And, of course, we want to make sure that anytime you want, you can come on back and tell us about what's happening. Keep us up to date as to your progress, especially when you start to rank up. You know, both of you guys, we want to hear about your progress for sure. Absolutely. You guys have any questions? No.

    [00:34:08] No? Well, hey. We appreciate you guys taking the time to come on today. And thank you to Josh for setting this up and, you know, taking the time to get you guys on. There he is. What's up, Josh? We appreciate you guys letting him do it. Not only is it great for everybody to get to see the exposure of the kids that are coming up, because that's what's going to be the next people that are helping grow the sport. That's why we like to do the junior events that we do.

    [00:34:35] But also, I hear all of you guys all the time. You support our clubhouse, and we really appreciate that. It's crazy. Crane's Clubhouse is a worldwide name because everybody wants foosball to grow, and it shows. It's a family that I've only been playing for about a year and a half now. And I couldn't tell you how many of the events I've already been to because I was so addicted. And that's why I love having these guys here. I love having all the kids that come out. It's amazing. That's fantastic, man. Congratulations. Congratulations.

    [00:35:07] What's the next tournaments that you guys are going to be at? Randy, you want to go first on that one? Well, so I'm having shoulder surgery in two weeks, so I'm going to be out. I'm hoping to be at Worlds, but that's fingers crossed. I'm hoping to be at Worlds. After that, I don't know. I'll be in Louisiana for sure. I'd like to get to Michigan. Michigan, I was in Michigan not last year, the year before. Right. It was great.

    [00:35:38] But I'll be at Worlds whether I'm there hanging out or I'm there playing. I plan to be at Worlds. So that's the rest of my year right now. That's what it's looking like. So I know Tom's going to be in Dallas next weekend for sure. I'll be there too. We'll be there. Me and Adair are still in with me for sure. We'll be there in Dallas taking a couple of my friends that are going to be there. First time experiencing the foosball whole thing. And I figured that might be a pretty good one.

    [00:36:05] It's my first outside of WFT event other than the Florida one that we just did. But yes, I plan on being at quite a few events. And I try to get to drag them along as many as we can. Cool. Yeah. Yeah. You'll like Dallas. It's the Swiss format. So you'll be playing a lot. Even if you're only playing one event a day, it's a really nice format. And the best thing about this is you get a chance to take a break around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. There's a lunch break.

    [00:36:35] You come back and you play again. And then, of course, the finals are done by 10 o'clock at night. And so you got other stuff going on, other things you want to do. There's plenty of opportunity to enjoy the surrounding area. So you know exactly when you're going to play. That's one of the things I really enjoy about the ITSF World Series. He's playing too. This is their little brother. They guide them on the table every once in a while.

    [00:37:01] We got one of the stool things that Scott Liley and then made and donated to us so that way the kids can walk in and be able to play on the table. Nice. And Clayton gets up there and plays too. So they're a little more. He's attacking the table too. What's up, Clayton? Say hi to him. They're on the phone there. Clayton, what grade are you in? How old are you? What grade are you in, Clayton? Gotcha.

    [00:37:32] Say you're going into kindergarten. Kindergarten. Man. Playing foosball already. That's awesome. Nice. Clayton and I read at the same level. So that's good. Clayton's been in some of our junior tournaments. He's played in them already. Nice. Let's go. Very cool. See, that's the age right there, man. You get them started right around five years old and they take off, man. Matter of fact, Kelton and him won one of the events in Devils.

    [00:38:00] Kelton and him were a brainer partner. They were teamed up. Let's go. Sweet. Let's go. That's what I'm talking about. This is awesome. This is one of those foosball families in the making, you know, like the Rue family. You got, geez, you got four players in that family, I believe, even with someone who's younger sister. Yeah. The Grizzles. Yeah. Yeah. There you go. The Balcos family. Same thing. Yep. And the Lueras family. Yeah.

    [00:38:30] Yeah. Very, very cool. There's a few of them. There's a few of them. They're growing, Tom. Mm-hmm. And the future looks bright because of you guys. There's no doubt about that. Yep. Yep. Yep. Well, Josh, thanks for everything you do, buddy. Thanks for promoting foosball. Thanks for giving these kids a place to play. And thanks for giving them a spot to come on the show and talk a little foosball, man. Kids, thank you so much for coming on. We appreciate you.

    [00:39:00] And good luck this year. And we'll see you guys out foosin', okay? All right. Thanks, Tom. Randy, we appreciate you guys. We appreciate what you guys do, too, man. I mean, you guys really say a lot and do a lot for foosball. Appreciate that. And we'll see you in Dallas. Absolutely. We'll see you in a few days. Absolutely. All right. All right, guys. Yeah, wow. That is awesome. Yeah, we're lucky, man. We get a chance to see these kids as they're developing. And they're going to be the new superstars down the line. I just have a feeling about that. Yeah.

    [00:39:30] Especially Cora and Kelton. I think they're both pretty determined to get better. Well, I saw them in Wisconsin. And they were really competitive. Not just like, you know, competitive. I'm saying like on the table, they both had some skill. They had some games. So, you know, but I think people failed. Like kids fail to understand there's no financial burden on them to go play foosball, right? Right.

    [00:39:58] They can just go play and have fun and be with their friends. And, like, this is the best time for them to go enjoy foosball. Yeah, yeah. And, you know, for them to grow as players, this is the perfect time. Having that outlet. Having the place to play. And, again, having exposure to players like Jessica Sanflaben and Paul Smith. You know, two top five players in the world. That's, you know, not a lot of people. Not a lot of players. Never mind kids get to have that exposure.

    [00:40:28] So, you know, they're in a good spot. And, you know, our junior scene, Tom, is, you know, there are so many. Look, and, again, I apologize to any juniors. I know there's a lot of them. And I'm sorry we couldn't get to all of you. But there's so many juniors that we could have on the show. And I'm going to continue to try to get them on. But, you know, the juniors, you guys really don't know how lucky you are to have so much competition right now. There's a lot of junior competition.

    [00:40:55] So, it's prime time. And this is right on the edge of what happens now, of course, in the next year or two with the World Foosball Tour. We're seeing the sponsorship showing up. And I predict, and this is just me, but I'm predicting within two years we're probably going to see some serious coverage with sports television. I have a feeling that's going to happen. Well, I'm just waiting for them to call me, Tom. Ready to go. I'm just waiting for them.

    [00:41:25] When they call me and they say, hey, you know, here's the contract. Here's the money. What do you need me to do? I won't even play anymore. I'll just talk foosball. Sure. Let's go. I love it. I love talking. Look, I love foosball and I love to talk. So, we'll put them together. You've got to be a fan of the game. You know, I didn't have a chance to ask you if you watched any of the coverage at Florida State.

    [00:41:53] I watched a ton of the coverage. Dude, was that amazing or what? The stream. The stream was outstanding. Yep. Clay and Ash. Shout out to Clay and Ash. Did a great job. Yep. The matches were. Dude, that was great foosball. There was a bunch of open matches that went all the way to the final ball. A bunch of them. Yeah. Not just a couple, but a bunch. I think one of my favorite matches, certainly while the finals have opened, obviously.

    [00:42:21] But there was a couple of prelim matches, too, that were really quite good. You know, Tommy Yor and he was playing with Sam. Yep. And, man, they were playing their hearts out. They were down two games to none. I think it was Brandon and his partner. They were down two games to none. Brandon and Kane. Kane. Brandon and Kane. Yep, exactly. And they came back and almost won it. Again, final ball. Final ball. I just, I was glued.

    [00:42:50] Like, that was incredible. There were, there was a lot of, a lot of great, I mean, Dakota Diaz and Jason Lurie had a good run. They won pro doubles, made a great run and open. Butch and Dylan had a nice run and open. I mean, Billy and Scott, they, they had a nice run and open. You know, I watched, I watched Chris Folsom and Callum. They had Billy and Scott down two games to nothing.

    [00:43:19] And Billy and Scott came back and won. And, you know, there was just great matches all weekend. You know, Brandon, Brandon beating Tony for King Seat and, you know, and then Tony dipping him. It's, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's one of these things. Now, again, I can't speak for Tony, but it's like, I almost feel like Tony will play, Tony will play his game up into a point in the King, in the King Seat match. And if he wins, he wins.

    [00:43:48] But if he doesn't, I feel like he's just gathering information. Right. And then, and then gets back to the final and is, is not, I mean, he's, you know, the guy's been, he's the best player in the world. He's the greatest player of all time. Yeah. But he, like, he's not the same guy in the final. Now you're, you know, it's, his plan is different. His approach is different. You know, like Brandon beat him up pretty good. Brandon beat his zone up pretty good.

    [00:44:13] And then in the final in, in, I think it went seven games or eight games, but I don't think, I don't think Brandon scored a goal out of the back. Nope. Not even, not even once. I don't think. Yeah. So, you know, and, and, and it's like, I, I, I personally, you know, uh, you, I want the best player. Of course I want the best player to win. Oh, right. Yeah. Yeah. But sometimes I want the best player to not be Tony. I'm sorry, Tony.

    [00:44:42] Well, I mean, here's, here's a, here's an odd thing because he obviously spent, he did his, uh, his time in Europe and, and, and was dominating in Europe doing, you know, playing different tables and different players, uh, and just, you know, rose to the top in just about every event that he played. But when he came back to the States to play every once in a while, it doesn't, wasn't the same Tony, you know, wasn't this, he was, uh, he wasn't winning as, as much, although

    [00:45:11] he was still in contention, it just wasn't happening as often. But when it turned around was last year during the hall of fame classic, uh, a year ago when he was inducted, the light switch came back on and it was Tony. It was the old Tony was back. No, he doubled, he doubled, he doubled at, at the hall of fame. Yep. He was, he was not at nationals. No, I don't think he was at nationals. No, no, no. Jake, Jacob and Brandon won doubles and then Brandon, Brandon won singles. Jacob got second.

    [00:45:40] And then at worlds, he got second to Tommy and then he got third and doubles with Rudy and then mixed, mixed, mixed. Who was it? It was Tommy and Hannah. And I don't remember who got second, but I don't think he was top three and mixed, but he had a second and a third at worlds. And then now this year he won, uh, he won singles at the kickoff. Yeah.

    [00:46:08] He was what the ninth or 10th. I'm trying to think what, uh, victory, uh, in singles at the TKO. And then he won, he won at the hall of fame, which was like his ninth time, which is a record. That's where it was. It was the hall of fame. It was like his ninth straight. And, and then, um, you know, and then the state tournaments, I mean, he just won Florida, you know, he's just kinda, I feel like he's just ramping up for worlds. Worlds is where he really just turns it on every year. Right.

    [00:46:35] So, and you know, it's crazy, Tom, for everything he's won, he's never tripled at worlds. Interesting. Huh? No, there's only, I think three, three guys that have ever tripled at worlds. So Freddie would be one. Steve Murray. Mm-hmm. Fredric Cognon. Mm-hmm. And, and Ryan Moore. There you go. Huh? Yeah. Wow. Yeah. So Tony, Tony for having, I mean, Tony's won everything there is to win just about, but

    [00:47:03] he's looks, and again, look, I've never won anything at worlds. So I'm not, I'm not saying it in a disrespectful tone. I'm just saying you would think that that guy has, has tripled at worlds cause he's tripled at so many other events. He's never tripled at worlds. Huh? Interesting. So maybe this is the year. Who knows? This could be very well. You know, we'll have to keep an eye out for that because, uh, you know, uh, Tony is, is, uh, I, I do believe, and this is something that we used to do more often back in the day,

    [00:47:29] but there was a time when we were putting together like the, the, the top 50 players of all time. And Tony was right up there, but he wasn't the greatest player of all time. It was Frederico. Right. So, well, well, well, and that's the thing. I like, are we talking just, just tornado? Are we talking just tornado? Well, we were talking overall, you know, just overall, overall players, this number of wins and, you know, and Frederico has had, uh, basically, uh, dominated, you know, uh, throughout.

    [00:47:58] And I think in most of our top five lists or top, top 10 lists, he was definitely, you know, usually at the top there. But, um, I think that's going to be, uh, that's going to be a change there. We're definitely have to reassess that if we were to do another list, uh, that would have to, have to change. I think Tony's definitely right there at the top now. So, yeah, he's. See, I, I just need to know if we're talking just tornado or. Right. Or if we're talking multi-table.

    [00:48:24] Cause, you know, and you know, are we talking TS2, all that stuff? Right. So. Yeah. Yeah. No, it was, it was more about, I think it was more about overall victories and number percentage of wins, this kind of thing. And a number of years, you know, all kind of calculated together. I wasn't involved in much of the calculation that was done by the, by the other members of the, of the squad, but you know, it just, it just seemed astounding that, you know, Tony's right there. He was right there. I think top three or something like that, uh, in most of those lists.

    [00:48:54] But now I think that's changed. I think things have, uh, gone more in his direction. I don't know. I mean, I feel like that guy, if we're counting just wins, who's one more than him. I mean, if you count every state, every state regional major and, and world title, you could like, you know, now that he's been in Europe for so long, I mean, no, I don't think anybody's I, I, now again, I, you know, I don't know everything. But Rico has won in Europe. Right. Right.

    [00:49:21] Well, you know, I mean, Tony, there was like 18 months where Tony didn't lose the singles. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. So, so. I think he, he's definitely belongs in that top spot. You know, it's going to be. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But you know, uh, it's, I don't know. Time will tell. Yeah. Foosball weird. Foosball is weird. Yeah. It's, it's, everybody has an opinion. So.

    [00:49:48] So, uh, speaking of opinions, I heard some really good reports for, uh, for Florida state that the, uh, the tornado balls that they use were good. I heard there, I heard there were. Okay. So I got, I got mixed reviews. Okay. And I'm going to, and I'm going to say that with, cause again, I, when the tournament was over, I, you know, I, I talked to a bunch of people cause I want to know.

    [00:50:13] Uh, so, you know, that there's always going to be people that are just kind of not going to be happy no matter what. Uh, and then there are, and then there are people that love. Foosball no matter what. And then you have people that are just right in the middle that are going to just be honest. Um, so the people that were like in the middle, they said, yeah, the balls are better. Okay. So the balls are better. There was a noticeable, there was a noticeable difference and the balls were better.

    [00:50:41] They felt like the material hadn't really changed. Okay. The balls were still kind of hard, but they said that they were tumbled much, much more and they were lasting much longer. Hmm. Okay. Well, and, and, and they were rolling straight. But that's, that's a biggie right there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Even some of the repop balls, you know, that you see sometimes, uh, even though they, they, they, they're great, they look good. They, they, but they roll weird in some cases. Yeah.

    [00:51:09] So some of them, you just, you're, you're, you're, you know, you're dribbling the ball and the ball just rolls away from you. Yeah. And it's like, that's, that's unacceptable at this level. You know, when you see, when you see players with the best ball control in the world and the ball just rolls away from them, that is unacceptable. I'm sorry. So, you know, I heard the balls, the balls still sucked and they were trash and I hate them.

    [00:51:33] And those people, again, you know, some of them I love very much, but it is what it is. And then on the other side, I heard the balls were amazing. The tables were amazing. The hotel was amazing. Everything was amazing. But these are people that in their same right, they're unbelievably optimistic and I love them. And I could punch them in the face and they probably still, I could hit them and ask them to borrow 20 bucks and they'd still give me the money.

    [00:52:01] So, you know, it's a, it's a, it's a fine line, but I feel like things are definitely heading in a, in a better direction. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Well, uh, we'll be talking to Steve Murray again next weekend, uh, of course, uh, from Dallas live, uh, for the 300th episode. And, and, uh, we'll, we'll get an assessment cause he was, he was pretty, pretty open.

    [00:52:25] I got to say when, uh, we had him on, um, with, uh, Jim Stevens, he, um, you know, I asked him some pretty, you know, direct questions and, and I was a little worried he was going to get, uh, you know, kind of bent out of shape, but, but no, he was like, no, I want to be completely transparent here, man. We're, you know, we're doing the best we can. We gotta, we gotta move forward and, and, uh, make some changes. We can't, uh, we can't stay in, we can't rest on our laurels as a company anymore. We have to move forward. So yeah, like, cool. That's good news. Great.

    [00:52:55] That's what we need. Absolutely. We'll hear more about that next weekend, of course. But, uh, so man, I'm, I'm, um, I'm just hoping that now, what is your date for your, uh, for your surgery, by the way? Uh, June 4th, June 4th. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. This is going to be my third shoulder, my first left, but my third shoulder surgery. So I know what's coming. I know what it's going to be. And, uh, what are you going to do, Tom? I've been putting it off, putting it off for like three years. Okay.

    [00:53:25] Okay. Cause of work. And honestly, mostly cause of foosball. Cause I'm like, I want to, I don't want to miss any foosball, but it's getting to the point. It's getting to the point now where I got to fix it. And, um, and you know, the doc told me, he's like, I'll just give you another injection if you want. And I, I said, well, are the injections going to fix my shoulder? He said, nah, dude, you're going to have to have it operated on at some point. Right. And I said, well, I'm not getting any younger. So, uh, as I get older, the recovery is just going to be worse.

    [00:53:54] So let's just, let's just, let's, let's bite the bullet. Let's get it done. So, well, uh, you know, if, if you're listening to this right now, uh, cards and letters, always a good thing for our, for, for, for Randy here. Yeah. Cash, cash is great. Cash is King. Uh, no, Hey, honestly, I just, you know, thoughts and prayers are wonderful, man. I appreciate, I appreciate it all. You know, dude, I, again, I, I love our foosball community. I really do.

    [00:54:24] I, I, I, I appreciate our foosball community. And, and, you know, when people come up to me and tell me they listen to the show, they you really don't know how, you know what that does to me. I, cause honestly, Tom, a lot of times I feel like it's just you and me here talking to each other. Well, I mean, it is, but still, uh, you know, whether it's relevant to, to the audience or not, it's kind of like, ah, okay. Maybe sometimes, maybe sometimes not, but, uh, generally speaking, man, I mean, you, you're,

    [00:54:50] uh, you're, you're the ingredient that you bring to this, to the table, uh, when it comes to Foos Talk Live and foosball radio, man, it's, it's, it's irreplaceable. And, uh, so you, you better get better fast. Um, but, uh, you know, in, in meanwhile, of course we can, we can, uh, we'll hump along here and just kind of do what we do. But, uh, when you get back, man, it's, uh, that it'll be way too long, way too long. Well, I'll do my best. Yeah. We'll, you know, we'll get it sorted out.

    [00:55:19] I just, I'm gonna get this done, get my PT going. And then, uh, in the meantime, I got some, some irons in the fire. To see what I can do and, uh, get things sorted out as far as my personal life. Uh, you know, I mean, I'm, I'm, we're, I'm doing okay. Everything's okay on this end. I just, I have some, uh, some things going on career wise that I'm sorting out. Every, everything's, everything's good. Everything's moving around along nicely, but I have to make some decisions.

    [00:55:46] So, uh, you know, ultimately I just want to play foosball time. And, and, uh, ultimately once you heal, uh, you'll be better than ever. Right. Just like a, just like the, the, the, the $6 million man. They'll, they'll put you back together again. Yeah. We have the technology. We can't rebuild them. Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, and I, I hear rumors too, that you may be adding to the family yet again. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

    [00:56:15] We, we, we got, we got, uh, we got something in the works. So when, uh, when we get that set up, I'll, I'll let you know. Well, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll jump back on. I'll, I'll, I'll make a cameo and I'll show you, I'll show you my, I'll show you my guy. Okay, cool. I'm psyched about that, man. That's, that's, uh, there's always, there's always something good to talk about, uh, whether, whether it's on air, off air, foosball or not, you know, there's always something. Uh, and, and, and Louis T42 just said, Hey, we are here.

    [00:56:45] Uh, you know, he's, uh, he's, he's one of the many, uh, Drifter Radio. Those guys are all jumping on every week. So every week, man, every week. Thank you. Yeah. We do appreciate it. And, and, uh, this, this, this 300th episode, you know, here's the weird thing about this. I think about the milestones we've had in the past, like our first, what was it? Like, I think our first year or two or whatever, you know, trying to do something to commemorate

    [00:57:11] the moment and 300 episodes like, okay, well, we're going to be live, uh, from Texas. So what could be better? Nah, man, that's awesome. Yeah. It's great. It really is. I just wish you were there with us. Yeah. Me too, Tom. Yeah. Me too. Yeah. Me too. It's a, it is what it is, but, uh, we'll, we'll, we'll keep you in mind. And, and of course, uh, you've got to keep us up to date too, as to how things are going for you. So. Absolutely, buddy. You know that. Yeah.

    [00:57:41] Absolutely. Cool. Absolutely. Awesome. Man. So, uh, now, uh, I was just thinking about, okay, uh, it's, uh, Dallas, Texas. Then it's possible for nationals. Now, by the way, if you're, uh, if you're, if you're a fan and you've been watching the world foosball tour and of course what, uh, Ryan just announced, he's basically saying to any promoter across the country, uh, that promotes locally, regionally, statewide, whatever

    [00:58:09] the case, if you come to nationals, he will, uh, take care of your fees for, for playing. They'll, you know, basically a free package. And I thought, Hmm, that's, that's pretty cool. Um, so I'm trying to work it out mathematically, whether or not that's something that's doable. Uh, and I think possibly nationals, but, uh, How far, how far of a drive is it for you? Oh, if I were to drive, let me see. Louisville, Kentucky is probably the better part of 11 hours.

    [00:58:39] Something. That's not bad. Yeah. It's, it's a long ride, but I mean. But if I could do like a road trip with some of the gang here from 518, uh, that would be definitely fun. Uh, it'd be worthwhile. Yeah. Road trip. Yep. Shack up, shack up, free pack, free package. Yeah. No doubt. Um, but also, uh, during that same time, uh, he's going to be introducing this, uh, this, this league software, uh, the software.

    [00:59:08] I think it's just an extension of the play software that we've already, uh, had a chance to try, but, uh, we'll get a chance. Hopefully, uh, maybe at the 518, we'll be able to do some beta testing of, uh, of the, uh, of the, of the app to do some league play. Nice. Which would be cool. Now, where are you guys, uh, in, in your end of the, of the, of the, of the country? Are you playing, uh, in, are you planning on doing the league?

    [00:59:33] Uh, Tom, the way, and again, I don't want to speak negatively about what happens here, but the, the local stuff is hit or miss. And it's, um, I just, I don't know, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if they tried it in Georgia or even Mississippi. Okay. Um, you know, Louisiana, but, um, I, I couldn't say if they were going to do it here or not. I don't know.

    [01:00:00] I honestly, the, the, the 508 guys will probably do it. No doubt. New Bedford Fall River. Yep. Um, so I, I'm, I'm excited to see what this thing does, you know, get everybody in a national database and, and, uh, and see how that pans out. So don't you think it's about time though? Don't you, because here's the thing. And we've, we've talked about it till it's dead, but I mean, you think about, you know,

    [01:00:24] any other bar sport, whether it be pool or, uh, you know, if you go bowling, that kind of thing, you can actually compare yourself, uh, on a nationwide basis, just playing in your local league. You know? Yeah. Well, well, and, and again, foosball is one of those, one of those things where, you know, there's, there's enough players out there that think they can compete with the best players in the world and tell everybody they do. But now here's your chance, right? Like, okay.

    [01:00:53] Uh, you know, Tampa, for example, or even like I said, Louisiana, you know, they have their draws every week and they, and they do the things that they do. But now since, since there's going to be an actual system where people are keeping track, I think that's going to, um, uh, what's the word I'm looking for? My brain is, uh, let me see. Well, take us to the next level.

    [01:01:20] Uh, well that, but what I'm saying is, uh, it's going to incentivize the better players to come out and really put their best game on the table. Right. You know? Right. Cause, cause there are players out there that are like, I, you know, I beat so-and-so at the local. Oh, okay. Okay. Where's, where are the results? Right. But now it's like, oh, the results are right here on my phone. So, you know, I, I, like I said, I, I always bring up this one guy from back home who in

    [01:01:46] his, in his mind thinks he's, you know, competitive on a pro level and I have to constantly remind him that he's not. So when I go home, you know, we play pickup game, we play pickup games for a dollar and he's, he's taking his time and passing his five and shooting a rollover. And, and I'm having a good time shooting slingshots and he might beat me in a pickup game where I'm playing with, you know, with one of the bar guys and he's playing with a tournament expert. Okay. I think that he's competitive with me.

    [01:02:16] And I'm like, buddy, well, you know, your hands are shaking. We're playing a pickup game and you're nervous. This is, this is a pickup game. So, you know, and then we play, then we play singles and I beat the daylights out of them. And then it's, well, you know, the excuses start coming in. It's like, dude here now, now it's like, okay, there's a draw on Saturday nights or there's singles on Saturday nights. It's all going in the system. We're going to start keeping track and then you can actually see where you stack up against

    [01:02:45] real tournament players. Yeah. So, yeah. And that's, that, that's another thing too, because this, this will make it more attractive for those who are, who are serious about getting better, you know? Yeah. You know, it's, it's, it's, there's, there's so little accounting for what's going on week to week or even day to day when it comes to playing in your local and it's, and also building the scene.

    [01:03:11] And I think also Ryan, the other thing he's been kind of hinting about is helping us be more proactive when it comes to promoting the fact that we're doing a scene, you know, getting the word out there, some sort of marketing materials to, to distribute within the area to say, Hey, we're here. By the way, you ever played foosball? We're here every week, you know, come on, join our league. And, uh, it doesn't matter what your skill level is. We'll, we'll show you, show you the ropes. Yeah. Yeah.

    [01:03:40] So we need a whole lot more of that. Yeah. Well, I mean, I saw, I saw on Facebook that Stahl got his foot in the door with McDonald's, like doing something in New York. Like, you know, I mean, that's a global brand that now foosball has attached itself to. So that, I mean, that's outstanding. Well, you know, we start, we start attaching ourselves to these global brands and foosball, foosball is going to be, it's going to be a global sport. It's going to be something everybody knows about.

    [01:04:09] It's not just going to be something that people play in bars or, you know, it's, it's going to be something that people talk about in every household. It's going to be something people, people see this on TV. It's going to be a real thing. So that's exciting. Yeah. We got to get Michael on soon to talk because that's coming up this summer. It's going to be in Manhattan in New York city and they're going to be playing in a McDonald's. Let's go like, okay. Now, now we're talking. I don't even have to go across town to get your, your big Mac, you know?

    [01:04:39] So yeah. No. Isn't that cool? That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. No, it's yeah. What he's doing with foosball clubs is outstanding, you know? And, and, and I'm just excited to see where that goes. Cause you know, these kids, man, they're, they're, they're our next, they're our next superstars. You know, they're the ones that are going to carry this game on their back. So. Yep. Case in point, you know, Kelton and Cora tonight joining us from, from St. Louis and the, the, the Crane's clubhouse. Yeah.

    [01:05:07] That's, that's a, that's a, a, just a slice of, of what's happening right now. You know, little, little slice of life. And we're going to, we're going to talk more about each little slice of, of the, of the field of, of junior foosball. And I think, man, I, you know, I'm looking forward to that big time. Yeah, buddy. Yeah. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Tom. Well, Randy, uh, you know, like I say, man, uh, you know, just, uh, keep me up to, up to speed at, keep everybody up to speed as to how you're doing.

    [01:05:35] Uh, and, uh, if you can, when you, when you are in the recovery phase, uh, even if you can struggle to, to put your headphones on and, and, uh, join us, that'd be, that'd be really cool. So we're, I will do buddy. I appreciate you, Tom. If you need me, I'm, I'm a phone call away anytime. Okay, cool. Well, uh, once again, we want to thank Cora and Kelton, uh, from, from St. Louis, of course, where they live in Illinois, but, uh, from, uh, Crane's Clubhouse tonight, joining us, uh,

    [01:06:02] again, you know, great examples of the next generation of foosball. And, uh, of course, thank you for tuning in on Twitch TV tonight. Um, we have some details coming up in the near future. We're going to discuss them when they become more solid, but, uh, some changes in that regard. We may be doing some more streaming in other locations, but we'll, we'll let you know about that when it happens. But, um, meanwhile, we'll see you in Dallas, Texas. Uh, we'll, we'll be there on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

    [01:06:30] And, uh, we'll be doing some, some spot interviews. You'll be seeing foosball radio on the road, uh, here on Twitch TV. And, uh, yeah, the, the, the 300th episode of Foos Talk Live will, will come to you from the Weston. So looking forward to all of that. And man, I just hope I can get some sleep. What can I tell you? Yes, sir. Yeah. Well, Randy, uh, again, you know, send positive energy your way. And, uh, this heal fast.

    [01:07:00] I'll try. I'll try my best. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So once again, thanks for tuning in tonight to Foos Talk Live. We will catch you on the road next week. And, uh, thank you so much for tuning in. Stick around now. We've got Foos Talk Live's tournament beat coming your way next time now for the Foos Talk Live tournament beat brought to you in part by foosgadgets.com using technology to create a better foosball experience. And by Boise Foos Works, high fidelity refurbished foosballs.

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    [01:08:30] Using technology to create a better foosball experience. Foosball tournaments are everywhere. Foos Talk Live proudly presents a weekly update of events near you. With the Foos Talk Live tournament beat. Here's what's up. The ITSF presents the Tornado World Series and Texas State Championship. May 22nd through May 25th. At the Westin DFW Airport Hotel, Dallas, Texas.

    [01:08:59] 518 Foosball presents the Jam in June Smashdown. Saturday, June 6th. Trick Shots Billiards and Wicked Eatery. Clifton Park, New York. The World Foosball Tour presents the 2026 National Championships and North American Cup. June 24th through the 28th. Caesars Casino and Hotel Elizabeth, Indiana. Don't miss the 2026 Mississippi State Foosball Championships. July 23rd through the 26th. Pearl, Mississippi.

    [01:09:30] Stay tuned for more details. It's the 2026 Ohio State Championships. July 30th through August 2nd. Columbus, Ohio. More details coming up. East Coast Foosball presents the Duval Foosball Foosball Tournament. August 7th through the 9th at the Dart Bar. Jacksonville, Florida. Canada Foosball presents the 2026 Vancouver Island Foosball Championships. August 14th through the 16th. Courtenay Legion.

    [01:09:58] Courtenay, British Columbia. A World Foosball Tour presents the 2026 World Foosball Championships. September 2nd through the 6th at the Hyatt Regency. New Orleans, Louisiana. It's the 2026 Great Lakes Classic. Now scheduled for October 15th through the 18th. We'll keep you posted on the details. The North Carolina State Championships. Scheduled for November 26th through the 29th. More details soon to be released.

    [01:10:26] It's the 20th Annual 2026 Louisiana State Championships. December 3rd through the 6th. Stay tuned for lots more details. Each week, we do our best to give you the most up-to-date listing of foosball tournaments near you. If you have an event you'd like to add, send us all the details at foosballradio at gmail.com. Tune in every week for the Foos Talk Live Tournament Beat. The Foos Talk Live Tournament Beat is brought to you in part by foosgadgets.com.

    [01:10:56] Using technology to create a better foosball experience. And by Boise Foos Works. High-fidelity refurbished foosballs. Foos Talk Live is a product of Foos Ball Radio. With gratitude, we recognize our Foos Ball Radio Patreons. Our Foos Talk Live sponsor. Original-Leonhardt-USA.com Tune in again next week for another episode of Foos Talk Live.

    [01:11:23] In the meantime, we'll see you at Foos Talk Live.