From 'Baseball Isn't Boring' (subscribe here): It doesn't matter if it is a football field or baseball diamond, Rob Gronkowski is the party-starter. That's why it was natural for Rob Bradford to catch up with Gronk to talk the great game of baseball. The former tight end reveals the behind-the-scenes story from chasing Tom Brady all over the Fenway Park field, to how he tried to bunt with the Lombardi Trophy, and why his batting average plummeted his senior year of high school. As always, Gronk brings the good times.
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Well, he has dipped his toe in the water of baseball once again on the Fenway Park field, throwing out the first pitch, but it was not the first time. There's been other times, other memorable times that Rob Gronkowski has appeared on a baseball field. One really jumped to mind, which is exactly what I wanted to talk to him about is baseball isn't boring on the go. It is a documentary. It's of 30 for 30. It is what happened on the day where Tom Brady chased Rob Gronkowski all over the Fenway Park field. Yep, I wanted to get to the bottom of it. And then we get into some other behind the scenes items when it comes to bunting with Lombardi Trophy and how he viewed Tom Brady almost throwing the Lombardi Trophy in the ocean. And of course, Gronkowski is playing the great game of baseball. It's a fantastic way to spend a few minutes listening to this baseball isn't boring on the go. Here you go. Here's Gronkowski. Alright Rob, we're at Fenway Park and the only time I can remember being here is when you were chasing. You were chasing Tom Brady, Tom Brady was chasing you. Tell me, take me back. Tom Brady was chasing me because Tom Brady was about to throw the first pitch. And it was the year that his jersey got stolen out of the locker room after we won the Super Bowl in Houston versus Atlanta Falcons. We got that big comeback and then some reporter from Mexico, I think, stole his jersey. So then he took his jersey off real quick so he could throw a better pitch because it was a little tight. And right before he was throwing the first pitch, I came and snagged the jersey from his back pocket. And then he came chasing me, sold out stadium right here, and he was chasing me across the infield right here in Fenway Park. So none of them caught me. I slid and he caught me and stole the jersey back. It was one of the best first pitch moments in the history of Fenway Park, I tell you. But none of it was planned, I like. No, none of it was planned. Well, he kind of told me, he's like, "Yo, steal my jersey if you want." And then I was like, "All right." I was like, "Just don't be looking." So he had no clue when he was coming. He had no clue when I was going to do it. So it wasn't really planned. He was just talked about really quick. But what wasn't planned was the next year, two years later, we won the Super Bowl versus the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta. And then Julian and I were warming up for the first pitch over there. That's what happened. Julian threw me a pitch and I bunted the ball with the Lombardi Trophy. Yeah, I used the Lombardi Trophy as a bat. So we got two pretty quality stories for the rest of the Super Bowl. Yeah, so everyone talks about breaking them with throwing it in the ocean. I mean, that's a value better. That was pretty dope, too, when he almost threw that trophy in the ocean in Tampa. That was dangerous. That was pretty ballsy of time to do that. And everyone thinks I caught it, but the other tight end. My girlfriend can't break caught that. I know everyone was on their way, you know, lack of better term, like on their way that day. But we were like, I can't believe of all the things that you've done, Tom. I can't believe that you almost threw it in the ocean. Yeah, well, at that time, I thought it was the greatest thing ever. I mean, we were all little sauced up. I mean, everyone was sauced up. We were on boats. The whole organization was sauced up. So at that time, it's the greatest idea. And after you see the replay, you know, a couple of days later, you're like, man, I can't believe he actually did that. What was he thinking? But he was sauced up on that avocado tequila, I think. Oh, yeah, that's it. That's what gave him the idea to do. You're playing for the time with avocado tequila. Yeah. So real quick, what's here with baseball, besides throwing up for a pitcher in bunning with trophies, what's your history with baseball? Yeah, so I love baseball. It was my first sport growing up as a kid. My whole family played it. All my friends played it. You know, I brought everyone together. I brought the community together. I brought my friends together. I brought families together. And I brought everyone out to the ballpark. Lou Gehrig up in the Buffalo area where I grew up was where we were played at. And just played through 12th grade as well throughout high school. Oh, you did, all right. So I played all the way up until college. And I love baseball. I basically played every position from, you know, growing up from five years old until all the way going through varsity. So they let you play in high school, even though you were going to play to Arizona. Yes, I played every sport in high school. I was a big advocate for playing in high school. Yeah, you and my trout, good for you, yeah. You know, I played baseball. I played baseball, hockey, football, and basketball at the same time. And then finally, when I got to ninth grade, I actually dropped hockey because I was playing too many sports. But they were all, it was football, and then it was basketball, and then it was baseball. So I went from one sport to the other. Sometimes I'm just tryouts if you want fire and play awesome at other sports. I think they're going to put you on the team, don't worry about it. So I never practiced a sport until that sport came up that year. So I'd be playing basketball. I would never pick up a baseball or swing a bat until baseball chiles came because I'd go right from basketball. Maybe get a couple of days off and go right to baseball. So what was the go-to baseball thing? You say you played a lot of positions. What were you going to do? I was a first baseman. I was really good, actually, my whole career. And I started, actually my freshman year. I batted like 4-44. I got all these honors. Sophomore year, pretty good. And my junior year, I think I just got two stiff because I was lifting a lot, getting ready for football, because that's what I was focusing on. And I think I got way too stiff. I couldn't really swing that well anymore. And then I became the worst baseball player ever. So my junior year, I batted like 2-40. Oh, really? I went from batting 4-44, my freshman year to batting 2-40, my junior. I'm brutal. It was a bad year of baseball. I think it all worked out in the last quarter. Oh, it worked out. So, good thing it worked out or else getting jacked. For nothing, yeah. For nothing was sucked. Last question, unless we asked this to everyone, why isn't baseball boring? There's no wrong answer. Why isn't baseball boring? I'm banking on you saying that it isn't boring. Yeah, it isn't boring. What's especially great about baseball is when you know someone that's playing in the game, just like any other sport. I love how they sped up the pitch process as well. You know, sometimes that guy a little repetitive, just sitting there on the mound and then throwing the first base, you know, five times so the guy doesn't steal. So the speed of the game has sped up as well. And it's great, you know, just to get people together. It brings the city together, it brings families together. And just to action as well. When you see someone go deep, when you see someone hit the long ball, that's what it's all about. We love to see home runs. All right. Thank you. Plug in a Hyundai EV MP Extraordinary Happens. It's not just the ultra-fast charging capability in long range in the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6, or the Adventure Seeking Spirit of the Kona Electric, or the Groundbreaking 601 Horsepower IONIQ 5N. 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