If you know you know, Jayson Werth joins G&D to discuss his old days with the Nats, the current state of the team, and his horse racing venture!
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00:00On the fan we come to the Super Bowl
00:03So that we can catch up with Jason worth
00:05actually, we were going up the escalator today and Daris and I Danny are like on our way up to the media room and
00:12Worth it come right in the door and I'm like that looks like Jason worth
00:15There's no way it's like and it Daris is like does look like and then we just went on with our day
00:19Like that was like
00:21Weird and then we're back here an hour later and he's walking by him like definitely Jason worth. It's him
00:29So here's my question to you Danny kind of got to this
00:32My contention all offseason has been they need to make a splash like they did in 12
00:38You know when it was time to go in and before that with you and it just seems like that's not coming
00:43This was the offseason where I thought for sure the worth move is coming. You've got the young guys
00:47You've got the talent, but they're a piece or two away
00:50as a I mean, I don't know how closely you follow it, but as a
00:54Someone who cares about the team you on the field you didn't have to be when they won the World Series at Houston
00:58I remember you right there watching them and you know high-fiving people like what do you make of that?
01:04Well, I'm not in on these conversations
01:07Not yet anyways, they're not calling you I call me on these so I don't I don't know
01:11You know what? They're thinking or what's going on. I do agree that
01:15You know
01:16There's a veteran presence is probably needed
01:19in that clubhouse it would be
01:21We're gonna have to improve the team
01:23I think that was that was kind of my my biggest issues while I was there all those years is you know
01:28We would we wouldn't we wouldn't ever go for it. You know, we wouldn't we wouldn't go like it the trade deadline
01:34We'd never really like we never go hard and and and try to load up, you know
01:39And that's what they did in 19 when they want, you know, they went out they improved the team like
01:45you know back into the bullpen and
01:48It really went for it and they and they won so we were always right there
01:51You know the whole thing where we couldn't we never got over the hump out of the first round like that whole thing
01:58say whatever you want, but
01:59Those teams are all they're all good teams
02:01and we we battled in all those divisional series and the team that we played when they went on to the
02:09NLCS they were done like we we we beat him up
02:13Like if we would have gotten through that the visual series, we wouldn't have been done
02:17We wouldn't have been beaten up, you know, like we didn't lose
02:20We've lost those games that we didn't get through it. But like I still think we were the better team
02:24I didn't get it done. But I mean those five game series are tough
02:27We have those are seven game series. I think we would want all of them
02:30I think I've heard you talk about this in the past but that 2014 team
02:34I think was the was probably on paper the best team that you guys had and maybe even on paper better than the 19 team
02:39Is that the one that still sticks with you the most?
02:42I mean they all do. I mean, I think we were we were right there every time. Yeah, it's just it's just it's so
02:49So disheartening to even think about it like those were those are crushing losses like those hurt those those stayed with us for a while like I
02:57Think was it 14?
02:59I think it was 14 where I went to my farm for a month and turned my phone off and just like
03:03Didn't talk to anybody like it was like it was that the Dodgers. No, it's
03:07That was the giant. Oh, that was Hunter Strickland. Yeah. Yeah price took him deep three times
03:11That was uh, that was they were all tough like, you know
03:16The Dodgers one was tough, you know, even I mean that they were all tough
03:21they were all like awful crushing defeats, you know, like I
03:25Still feel like you know, it was it was it was opportunity loss
03:29But what are you gonna do Jason Worth is with us here on grit and Danny. All right, one more dad's question for me is
03:35Up the story about ripping the sign off the wall
03:43I
03:45Believe the quote was when did you lose this team Matt? I
03:49think we have a
03:52The used by date is over on that right we're past the
03:57Limitations, yeah, we talked about somebody asked me a question today earlier about a fight I got in in
04:032000 so I feel like that was
04:13Yeah, so so it is a true story
04:19This is now my bingo card either day we're doing it man. We're here. We're all here. So
04:25There's a game there's a game in and spring training
04:30This is the this is when you know, when did you lose when did you lose the team? Yeah, there's a game in spring training
04:38We get into we get into a little dust up with
04:42with the Marlins I
04:45Can't think of that. I got the pitchers name, but just it was
04:49it was it was a
04:51Little testy kind of kind of type of game. I don't know if they hit somebody
04:56So we get we come in and the next day and
05:01Matt tells everybody that you know, that's that's not how it's done. It's not how it's gonna go down and
05:07You know sets this whole thing up or we're gonna go down there tomorrow and then
05:13They can't have it both ways. No, they're not. We're not gonna allow them to push us around
05:19And I mean, I think we were all pretty like I thought we were all pretty fired up
05:23I thought we were all pretty fired up. Like it was it was awesome. You know, I
05:27Let's go
05:29So then then we don't take half the team down. I figure we're all going to Miami
05:34So we like we take the triple-a squad, you know
05:40All right, so
05:42So I figured like, you know, if you want to fight you should probably have me with you
05:46Yeah, so you didn't get to go on the trip trip. Okay, and then
05:51It goes out they exchange the lineup cards and and
05:55Matt Matt tells the bench coach that uh, you know, I don't know what he says
06:00So, you know, you guys can't have it both ways and it doesn't shake his hand like oh
06:04So, you know, like basically I don't know exactly what he said cuz I you know, no one was saying up there but
06:11You know, Mikey Moe's on the Marlins, you know, Mike Morris. Yeah, so he's
06:16You know, of course, he's just he's stirring the pot the whole time like after the game he's calling everybody your managers
06:24So so he picks a fight
06:28With the Marlins and and then the whole game I guess is real chippy
06:32You know, everybody's like, you know on edge and like kind of like what you'd expect nothing happens
06:38We drive home they drive home
06:40Back and he gets back and he picks up the phone and calls the car calls the Marlins manager and apologized
06:48says sorry and
06:50so that sent all these shockwaves through the to the clubhouses and to the team and like
06:57You know, what?
06:59What are you doing? What are you saying? Sorry for like you said we're gonna over there fight. We're gonna kick their at like nice
07:06So, you know everybody's like the whole team's like what are we doing what's going on what's wrong with him like what
07:11So I go in the office next day. I'm like Matt, you know, like
07:15What's going? What are you doing?
07:17Know what like he's like, well, I just don't want to be known for you know that I don't want to be
07:22I don't want to be that guy. I was like, okay, but
07:26You just had a meeting two days ago and told everybody we know what we were gonna do and now
07:32everyone knows that you called and apologized like
07:35What are you gonna do? I'll handle it. I got
07:40He never said a word about him
07:42Never said nothing. So that was
07:45That was when he lost a team. So by the time there's a lot of baseball ahead by the way, that was months before
07:51Months, this is a spring train. We're talking about August. Yeah, right like yeah, so
07:57Desi calls me
07:59Desi calls me and says hey, do you know you're not playing and we came back from Colorado long trip back
08:06We got in late like I'm a fairly old elder player at this point
08:10Like if you weren't gonna play me, you would probably sit me in the first game day back from Colorado
08:16it was a you know long flight and
08:19And everybody was tired. Here's gas. Listen, it's fine. You know you play you play every day. So it wasn't an issue, but
08:25the next day
08:27I'm like laying on my couch napping and
08:31Phone rings Desi calls me. He says hey, do you do you know you're not playing?
08:36No, what I'm not playing he says bro and when he said
08:45I already knew what was about to happen. So he's like bro. We need something
08:51I
08:54I'm not telling you what to do or anything. He's like, but we
08:58We need something. I was like, I got it. I'll be right there. So I get my gt3
09:03I go screaming down the GT 3 the GT 3 you went the whole way. Yeah
09:08No, I went how I usually drive before I got arrested and I like
09:14I'm like, I'm just so furious because look you don't have to tell me when I'm not playing or when I am playing
09:19but it is it'd be like if you want to give me a day off and really give me like give me a rest you'd
09:25say hey like
09:27You're tired. We're tired like
09:29Take a day like, you know
09:31Get your rest like no because when you wake up in the morning your whole days
09:34You're built to play like you're like you're on you're on the whole day. You're on the whole day
09:39so like if I'm not playing that give me the whole day off like
09:43And he knows this but I have a map played a long time. He's you know, he could have been a really good manager
09:49But he just he refused to do stuff like that
09:51So at that point like it was we were the the season was was lost
09:55the whole thing I mean it was we're at the point of
09:59Either we we win the rest of the games and we need a spark or you know, we suck
10:05So I walked in
10:07took the right off car off the
10:10Went look for Matt
10:11Ripped it up and told him if he wants to if he wants to win he put it put a new get a new F and
10:16Line up car me with now as at the time I was leading off from one with me on the top of it and I
10:23Thought I was I thought I thought
10:28Who I thought the guy was I thought that he would he would fight me I
10:33Would have fought me
10:35You would have fought you
10:36Jason worth would fight Jason. I would have fought me. I thought for sure we're gonna I like I was like an actual fight
10:42I was right. I was like this is this is this is what needs to happen
10:47Fire to call the growth here. Yeah. Yeah, but again, we got we got the guy that that called the called over
10:54Gave up and apologized. So it just it was more of just that was just a season we had
11:00it was it's unfortunate and I hate I hate bringing it up and talking about but
11:04You asked so no and I appreciate your candor and I mean for Nats fans. This this is catnip
11:10We're going down a memory lane here with Jason worth with this year
11:15All right, I will ask you down
11:17All right about icon racing off the rails what you've got going on because my guy here has a horse
11:23That's out here winning some of the biggest races in the country. Yeah, so
11:27Last year with Dornick we go he takes us to the Kentucky Derby
11:32Owning a horse in the Kentucky Derby is the most prestigious thing you could do in sports
11:36It's like it's it's it's like it'd be like, you know
11:40Getting your name called for the for the New York Yankees on opening day
11:43Like it is it is that it is that level or you know, or for the World Series for that matter?
11:49How unlikely was it for like one of your horses to do that? I would say I would understand extremely unlikely
11:55That was the first Colt that I got into
11:58So the first Colt that I bought into
12:01runs in the Kentucky Derby
12:03Wins the Belmont wins it wins a triple crown race. I mean, I I think there's there's guys that spent
12:08You know hundreds of millions of dollars to try to do that
12:11They you know, never never achieved it
12:13And so I own 10% of door knock and people are like, oh like this dude
12:18Owns 10% of this horse acts like he owns all of it. Yes, you're correct. Yes
12:24You are correct
12:25Like I don't care if you own a fraction of a percent like and that's what I think the sport is is missing
12:32I think it's it's been like these, you know
12:34These elitist billionaire class people that own own these horses for forever and no one's you know
12:40No one's had a chance to experience what it's like to own a horse, you know at any level
12:45So now you have these groups like my racehorse. They have they all these fractional ownerships, whatever. So my
12:51My summer was amazing. We said we spent the summer Saratoga watching these horses run. We won the Belmont we go on
12:58We won we win the Haskell which is like the next biggest race and we run fourth of the Travers which was which was like
13:04that race
13:06Felt like one of those teams I played on in Washington where we were we lost the division
13:11Like that was that big a loss like if he wins if he wins that race, you know
13:16We're looking at like our cops are like justify American Pharaoh Wow, okay secretariat ish, you know
13:24But it's it's like the it's the second triple crown Belmont the Haskell and the Travers now
13:29If he wins the Travers and he goes on to win the Breeders Cup, which at the time I'm thinking this horse is this good?
13:35Right, he goes he wins the next race. He is arguably the greatest horse of all time
13:40So that was like that was the history that was the vision into this this first chance first try Wow at you know
13:47doing this, you know, it's like
13:50It was it was incredible so I'm like so now I was like, all right, so how do we do this?
13:54How do we compete with these billionaire guys, you know, you're in you're out. Well, all right. So let's do some crowdfunding
13:59Let's let's create a fun and and pull some pool people's money together
14:03And we'll all go and buy these horses
14:06And then now you have you know brand new new owners into the sport and you're gonna buy it by horses and they're gonna be
14:12Your horse there be your horses and I've created
14:15Icon racing LFG, which is our media company. We have the podcast off the rails podcast. I'm doing Sean Kelly
14:20We just dropped their second episode. Yes
14:25He was a regular he came on all the times you didn't he was on with us like I never came
14:36We still owe him cowboy boots because he this is how long ago this was he bet us before the college
14:41Football season that Lamar Jackson would win the Heisman Lamar Jackson was a nobody at Louisville. We're like who the hell?
14:46Okay, fine, and we own cowboy boots. They're in the mail. That's all they're coming. Yeah, so
14:52The reason for the podcast is I think there's there's a void in horse racing where you know
14:57If you watch a horse racing podcast, you're either in horse racing or you're not, you know
15:01You're either like, you know a lot about it or you don't you watch the Kentucky Derby. That's it
15:05Maybe you follow the triple crown. That's it, right or you're totally in
15:08So the podcast and the media company is like a bridge to bring people into the
15:13partnerships and
15:14Hopefully to build the partnerships but bring new owners into the sport because this is the greatest sport like on the planet
15:20Like especially now with our phones like you get to be doing anything. You'd be like, excuse me
15:25And
15:28For two minutes
15:37Hey, I like it 30 minutes later you could do it again, right
15:40I mean we got so like for the this like this this gambling culture like all everyone's so, you know
15:47Into gambling now horse racing gambling is like so much fun and like, you know
15:51Doer a three-hour baseball game or you know a football game or whatever, you know, there's plot bets, whatever
15:57But for two minutes you can you can bet on a horse race and go absolutely crazy
16:00Like just lose your mind and when you own the horses even a piece of them
16:04You own the horses like it is life-changing these experiences
16:07You can follow these horses like they become your family member Dornick like I've got statues and pictures and like where is Dornick now?
16:13He's it spent thrift farms in Lexington and he's getting ready to start his uh, his career as a sire
16:19Okay, so he's gonna make little horses that way nice so this is amazing like I'm new to the sport
16:25So I'm learning. This is what I think is incredible
16:28This is so incredible. So if you get a horse, it's good enough to become a sire
16:32All right, not many of them are I don't know what the percentage is, but there's
16:36not many
16:38These horses they get paid
16:41They get paid per
16:45Ejaculation, okay
16:48I don't know if we're allowed to say that
16:52Session
16:53Yes, okay. So you have a bear?
16:55we have a mare you sent you sent your mare to to the spent through and
17:01You pay a stud fee now the stallion fees stud fees vary from Sally this time. The best ones are like
17:08250,000 door knock is 40,000
17:12Yeah
17:14And you make some of that money the money's not in the tree it's in the seed grant, it's correct
17:19We saw we sold them. So we saw we saw his green right? So he's gone like spent thrift owns him. I
17:26Retained what's called as a season. So if I want to send a mare to him every year
17:31for free got you, but the only thing they guarantee you is that the the deed happens and
17:39That's it there's no guarantee that they actually get you know pregnant but
17:43It's so it's just a remarkable it's wild it's wild. I mean this this sport is
17:49So crazy, so when I took I took Jackson my son Jackson to the first horse race
17:54He was just like so annoyed, you know, he's like his quote was literally like what is this the 1700s?
18:00This dude he loves horse race, that's cool. He's at UK. He's like he goes over to spend spend through the C's door
18:06I mean this is it's just such a it's just such a life-changing sport
18:10Like once you get into it, you start peeling the layers back of it. There's just so much to it
18:14Like so the the thought is with icon racing is that we bring new owners into the sport because it's just tipping your toes
18:21It's just tipping your toes. It's just tipping your toes. It's just tipping your toes
18:24It's just tipping your toes. It's just tipping your toes. It's just tipping your toes
18:27Is that we bring new owners into the sport because it's just tipping your toe in you know for for a share for my ideal
18:34It's $100,000 for a share. You get a piece of like six to ten horses
18:38Now that's not for this. Obviously, it's not for everybody
18:41But if you go to if you go to my race horse calm that is for everybody
18:46Okay, that's a that's something that where you can get in for a lot for a lot smaller granted. It's a smaller
18:51it's a smaller share, but
18:54I'm here to tell you that you don't need to own all the horse to experience horse racing and through ownership
18:59I think through ownership of horses. That's where we can change this for
19:03Change the stigmas that don't there aren't there anymore?
19:06I mean horse race has done a great job of creating what it is now
19:09But the sport is on the decline and that's why I got I made these hats make horse racing great again
19:16Mhrg letters on a black at Marga make horse racing great again. All right, or that's what we're trying to do
19:23and I think through ownership bringing people in showing what a great sport this is and
19:27The access you get as an owner to the horses is unbelievable
19:31You go to the barns you can pet them you get that you get that, you know, they have personalities
19:35These are like they're like mythological creatures
19:37It really is like avatar or like you take you take your hair and you plug it into theirs and you become one, right?
19:43You see how much he loves there's something
19:47Yeah, and like I'm like it's there's no like it this is how everyone feels about the sport
19:52That's right. You know, it's so like it's a great sport with great people. They take great care of the horses. It's not
19:58You know, here's the stigmas about oh, we're just gonna send it to the glue factory if it loses
20:02That's not that's not the reality. That's at least 30 or 40 or 50 years old
20:06Yeah, I'm sure that may it may have been the reality but it's not anymore. I'm here to tell you
20:11There's tons of aftercare programs these horses once they're done running
20:14They have careers after their their racing careers and they're taking care of better than professional athletes
20:20This is our new best friend Jason Worth, I'm not having Danny and I believe
20:25We were talking about this during the break our new Nats insider. He'll join us every Friday at 1 o'clock
20:31We'll do 10 good minutes on the Nationals. I actually haven't mentioned that to him yet, but Jason
20:35Well, it was awesome a couple chips every time you come on, but yeah, I'll send you a bag of ruffles for every appearance
20:40I believe you man bad. I will go wrong way. Yeah, there you go. Ladies and gentlemen