Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Sleeves here with the Senior Pickleball Report, powered by TNC Network. Let's get it going.
Today in our People of Pickleball episode, we speak with Joseph R. Ganescoli, who played Vito Spadafori on the Sopranos, and he's a pickleball fanatic. We talk all things pickleball, plus Joe's incredible life. Everything from being a chef to being a novelist, obviously an actor, pickleballer, racquetball guy, you name it. He's got his own vodka. So we. We get into it. All right, but before that, if you like this content, consider subscribing to the channel. Check out all the links in the description. Check out our newsletter, our new website, and our merch page. All right, let's get to that conversation with Joe.
[00:00:47] Speaker B: All right. Hey, we've got Joe. Welcome, finally, man, to the Senior Pickleball Report. Good to have you.
[00:00:54] Speaker C: All right, Sleevesy. Sleevesy. Can I call you Sleevesy?
[00:00:58] Speaker B: You can call me whatever you want. Sleaze, Sleazy. Mike. I got a ton of names, man.
[00:01:02] Speaker C: Sleevesy. Sleevesy. So thank you very much. Pleasure to be here.
[00:01:07] Speaker B: Yeah, so obviously, we got a ton that we can cover here. You've got quite the background. Very sort of renaissance man. You do it all. We'll get into your acting and your, you know, you're a chef, and obviously you represent a bunch of different types of brands and you got your own vodka. But first, obviously, it's a pickleball channel, man. So let's find out how this crazy, goofy wiffle ball game came into your life.
[00:01:37] Speaker C: Yeah. So growing up Brooklyn, I played paddle ball, and then racquetball became a hot sensation. I played racquetball. I continue to this day. And I'm talking, like, you know, in 19s up until now. So now I play racquetball on weekends.
It's not as popular as it's. The gym I went to had 16 courts. Now they're down to two. So I still play on weekends.
And during the week, you know, I work out. And I was passing these ladies, and they said, oh, we only have three for pickleball. And they had, like, a net set up on the basketball court. And it wasn't even, like, regulation. It was just a matter of them hitting the ball back and forth. And I said, oh, you know, I'll. I'll. I'll play with you. And so there's the four of us, and they had some kind of goofy paddle, but, you know, I was hitting the ball back and forth. I wasn't really hitting it, but I was actually was able to spin it because I know that. Yeah. That feeling. And I said, oh, this is kind of, kind of cool. You know, I kind of like this. And since then, it's just about a year now that I started.
[00:03:04] Speaker B: Oh.
[00:03:04] Speaker C: And I, you know, when I get into something like I did, I did that with golf.
Yeah. Once I had my. I like, oh, this is going to be a long, long, long thing. But as you, I don't know, your viewers might be Soprano fans or you sleeves.
I walked very bad on the show.
I was an athlete most of my life and then gained weight. My hips went. And so once they killed me, I had my hips double hip replacement same day and I started playing golf. I was doing a movie actually where I had a golf. Playing golf and I started hitting the ball between takes. I was like, oh man, I could like rotate. I could swing. I could, you know. So I became obsessed with God. I played every day, I walked the course and so that's the way I became a pickleball. I became obsessed. I watch every video I can. I didn't take lessons because, you know, I know the rudimentary, you know, I want to learn the rules and so on. But you know, I, I'm a bullplay. So I know how to, you know, followed through and hit a ball. And so I watched videos. I played as much as I can. Like yesterday, I played three different times, you know, three different places. My wife said this morning, what are you going with shorts on? It's 20 degrees out. I go, you know, I'm going to get in the car and then I'm going to go and get in the. Inside the gym. But I lost £100 playing pickleball. So yeah, elevated my game.
You know, there's something to go, all right, you're over there. There's very good players, you know, three, five, four, you know, two, five, three. So I was always like in a two, five, three. And within the last couple of months maybe I've sort of now play with the good plays. You know, they know I can handle myself. So that's where it's at.
[00:05:01] Speaker B: Yeah, you're, you're an athlete. So, you know, you, you've played ball sports before, it sounds like most of your life. And obviously if you played racquetball, which is a high speed game, hand eye coordination is not a problem for you, which is fantastic. And a wiffle ball is a slower game anyway, so you probably are going to advance pretty quickly in this game. I would Think.
[00:05:21] Speaker C: Yeah.
In racquetball, I'm more of a touch player. I play close to the front.
In pickle, I do have a hard serve. I've mastered really a hard serve, but. And I like. I do like banging the ball more in pickleball. But again, you do need soft hands, especially playing at the line. And I do like to touch it, because where everybody's banging it, you know what? You know, when they back it up, I like to just think it right over. It's. They. I find it frustrating for them, you know?
[00:06:04] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. It's nice because you can mix it up. Obviously, if you need power, you can. You can generate that. But I find, too, that most people, at least, is the way the game is starting to develop because of the power of these paddles, that if you can hit some decent touch shots on people, especially people, as we all get older, people don't move forward that well or back, and you can move them around. I think that's kind of the key to success in this game. If you can kind of keep folks off balance, and if you have good touch. Yeah, that goes a long way.
[00:06:33] Speaker C: Yeah. And if I bang, and it's usually an angle now. I mean, I've fell three times. Twice.
Well, once I didn't get hurt twice. One time, my hand sort of got it. Got it. Saw it took a long, long time to heal.
[00:06:54] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:54] Speaker C: And one time, the last time I brace myself, I know I have something torn. I. I can't move a certain way on my left shoulder. That's the only bad thing that I. You know, it's so annoying that because sometimes in the gym when I'm lifting and I want to do a certain thing, I just can't do it, you know? Yeah, it's. It's really annoying. So eventually, I'm gonna have to have that.
[00:07:18] Speaker B: Look.
[00:07:18] Speaker C: I've been holding off on the mri, but I have a feeling it's either torn or slightly torn. I was hoping it would heal, but I don't know. So that's the thing. I've seen people go down. I've seen people. You know, everybody knows somebody, right? Torn Achilles, bro.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:07:39] Speaker B: Orthopedic surgeons say pickleball is the news. CrossFit. There's always somebody coming in for surgery or something that they've dinged. And mainly because the sport it. When you watch it, it looks pretty benign, like, you know, ah, this seems pretty simple. But when you're out there, man, it's actually pretty physical as far as lateral movement, staying in athletic position. And it's easy to lose your balance because you're reaching and lunging a lot in this game, trying to just cover that little small court. So.
[00:08:08] Speaker C: When I watch pickleball, I don't see many people playing my age, you know, on tv and the people I play, but some of them are in really good shape, and some of them are. Are young, but a lot of them are older. Older guys that, yeah, give them credit for being out there, but, you know, maybe they don't. You know, it's usually the lobs over the head that get to them, you know, and, you know, lobs over the head. And oddly enough, I don't really see the. The pros when I watch on the TV using the lobby. You know, that's. That's weird. I mean, hard to lob over guys that are.
[00:08:48] Speaker B: That. Yeah, they're so athletic that. Yeah, you got to have it quick and fast.
[00:08:53] Speaker C: Yeah, that's probably why, because it really is not an effective shot. You know, they get to it and. And they return it. You know, me, I'm hoping that it goes out. You know, when I see the lob.
[00:09:03] Speaker B: That's how I am, too. I start blowing that direction. Even so, Joe, I mean, you seem to have a knack or, you know, I've kind of looked into your world a little bit, preparing for this interview. You have a knack for kind of getting involved in things that are cultural phenomenons. Obviously, pickleball being what it is and how it's starting to take off, you seem to have a nose for it a little bit. And, you know, being on arguably the greatest show in television history is another place where you sort of have been involved in a cultural phenomenon. So tell me how that works. How do you get involved in a world like that and then end up on, you know, probably the greatest television show in history?
[00:09:52] Speaker C: Well, sleeves. I always say that. Number one, blessed. And, you know, right time, right place, lucky.
And I made my own breaks.
So briefly.
I was a chef before an actor. And, you know, something about, like, me learning on my own. You know what I mean? I guess I just like to learn on my own. You know, I don't take lessons in anything, and I didn't go to culinary school. I didn't go to acting school, but I was in a restaurant business and I dropped out of college. I don't know how I wound up in a Manhattan kitchen, New York City, but my cooking background is French, and I want to learn French because I knew Italian and I wanted to broaden my repertoire. You Know, so to be more, you know, well rounded, you know, and at a young age, like 21. And so I kicked around some kitchens and Manhattan, some French kitchens, which I found interesting. And, you know, stuff that I never grew up in Brooklyn, like having.
And I had an opportunity to move to New Orleans. So at that time, early 80s, like, Cajun cooking in New York was like the older rage, Paul Prado, so on. So I lived in New Orleans for three and a half years and I said, well, learn, you know, New Orleans cooking again. Brought in my repertoire, you know, came back, open my chef for the first time. I was 24. And now six, seven years later, me and a couple of my friends, we opened up a restaurant which came very popular, very busy, and I was making a ton of money. But I have a little demon inside that likes action with sports and. And so I'm like what they call ocd. So I'm a degenerate gambler, I hate to say. Degenerate gambler, yeah. As a matter of fact, there's less. I mean, listen, I've been battling this for like 50 years.
I go months, years without playing, then all of a sudden I'm like, back in it.
And so I got in over my head, lost a lot of money one Sunday and cashed out in the restaurant, moved to LA to pursue acting. And that's a whole different story. But I kicked around and, you know, I'm a hustler. Like, I'm always trying to, you know, break it into the acting world without, like, a name or somebody helping you is kind of hard. And I kind of, to say the least, use my Brooklyn smarts, which I'm always glad I was raised in Brooklyn, you know, because she's. You know, there's guys that are on the street, but that are sharp guys, you know, and they just know angles, you know. And not that I did anything bad or anything, but I sort of got myself recognized and made friends and, you know, got started in the business, got a couple of roles, made a couple of friends, and before you know it, when I moved back to New York, a couple of friends, you know, remembered me and got me in movies and. And that happened to be the Soprano casting directors, and they cast me. I'm only. I'm only really the one. And again, your viewers might know this, a lot of them do. I played two different roles on the show with a different name. And the bakery scene, Gino, you remember, and a couple of lines, you know, Christopher shoots the kid in the foot. I was Gino trying to get bread and pastries. And for some reason they brought me back as veto. So I was blessed in that respect.
And again, you know, I use my.
How am I going to get ahead here? How am I going to get recognized? So season two, when they brought me back as Velo, couple episodes, season three, I got to kill Jackie Jr. The final episode, which was cool. Season four, I didn't want to be just a background guy with a few lines because now this is like, I mean, you know, everybody's watching the show. It's like hugely popular. And I was reading a book called Murder Machine, True Story.
And it was about a Brooklyn bar where this crew hung out and this guy Roy, the mayor was responsible for a lot, a lot, a lot of, you know, mob killings for the Gambinos. Yeah. And. But a guy in his crew was gay.
And the bell went off in my head and I went, whoa, that's kind of interesting. That's like, you never see something like that in a mob show. And me, I was always comfortable with gays because working in New Orleans and in Manhattan, it's all gay waiters. You know, a lot of, A lot of gay waiters say all. So I had no problem like, you know, portraying. Plus again, I wanted a challenge as like French cooking is a challenge, learning it. And the self taught actor playing a gay guy, I mean, listen, if I'm. The only thing gay about me is like, I'm a lesbian. I love broads, you know. So I.
So I suggested it to one of the writers. I didn't. Not David Chase. And I, you got to take them aside. You got to do it on the qt. You can't be like in front of the other actors. Hey, you know, it'd be great for my character. So I said, very right.
You know, I said, listen, I'm reading a book. It's a true story. I think it'd be kind of interesting. I'd be willing to do it. I gave it a book and you know, I didn't hear anything for about a year and a half. And then, you know, but the way that role, my role was, you know, they made it out. It's not what I had in mind. The security guard. I was on the wrong end of that deal, but it changed my life. So it was the best thing that ever happened to me. And the whole point of doing that was to show I can act and hopefully get more roles when if. And my end came or the show and. And it sort of happened, but not the way I had envisioned it.
But again, it opened up a lot of doors for me. I mean, I published a cookbook novel, I became spokesperson for different companies.
And so it opened a lot of doors and so on. So that's it in a nutshell. There, Sleeves. Yeah.
Yeah.
[00:16:56] Speaker B: I mean, no pun intended, but most people would kill to have those opportunities. And you, like you said, you, you know, you, you create angles, you see things you're a master at. Networking is really what they would use in today's language, like, you know, what people to talk to, when to talk to them and how to do it. And that's an art because those people are generally, you know, are the ones that ultimately kind of create the life that they wanted. Some in some regards. And you created, I mean, you've created several lives in many different avenues, obviously. And you're still doing it, which is great because I think a lot of folks just kind of say, well, this is who I am and I'm just going to grind it out until this is all over.
But not you.
And I appreciate that because I'm the same way.
I could have been a salesperson when I got out of college and I went into teaching and I could have been a teacher for the rest of my life. And I taught for 12 years and enjoyed it. Then I gave all that up and I got rid of my stuff and my wife and I moved and lived, live off grid now in a yurt with our cats, you know, in the middle of nowhere. And then people like, oh, that's Mike. And then it's like, now he's got a pickleball channel. So it's sort of this evolving character that, you know, we're developing. And that's why I enjoy talking to folks like yourself, because you're not done. You're never done. You keep creating and you keep challenging yourself and you're doing cool things and it's entertaining for the rest of us that aren't doing those things sometimes as well. And it's admirable because obviously, you know, not everybody can write a book. Not everybody can be a chef, not everybody can be an actor. And not everybody can take up golf, pickleball, racquetball and paddleball and teach themselves and be successful at them. So I guess my question is like, what's next?
[00:18:57] Speaker A: Hey, it's me, Sleeves, asking you to please stop by the all new online hub for Sleeves Senior pickleball report@sleeves spr.com this fresh and vibrant website is your one stop destination for everything related to Sleeves immersive pickleball world. Here, fans can access the latest episodes of our podcast, comprehensive product reviews, engaging blog posts, and so much more. We've designed this space to cater to all your pickleball needs, making it easier than ever to stay connected with the community and the sport.
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[00:20:54] Speaker B: What's next?
[00:20:55] Speaker C: Well, a few things, but just to go back a little bit to show you, you know, the hustle and always thinking and always being creative.
[00:21:02] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:03] Speaker C: When I wrote a cookbook novel, I didn't, first of all, I didn't write it. I told a ghostwriter the story and he shaped it. You know what I mean? Because he's a writer. But I didn't even have a book written. I can't write. I don't know how to write. So. But I read in the New York Post, a newspaper that's here in New York, there's a page six and page six was all like little gossip. Like this person was seen here and you know, little, little, little blurbs of color. Like little. Not just a line, but like a little story. Page six. Very famous.
And yeah, I, I planted a story there.
Trying to remember now it's so long, you know, back maybe 0405, I planted a story. I was shopping my manuscript for a book and I was getting a lot of different offers and so on, but none of that Was true. I didn't even have a book. I had nothing. Just an idea and a title in my brain. And sure enough, someone.
How did they find me? Somehow they emailed me and it was an editor and said, hey, before you make a deal, I'd like to tell me what it's about. And I said, well, listen, can I come and see you? I'll talk to you face to face. And I went in and I said, look, I gotta be honest with you. I don't have a book. I have an idea for a book.
[00:22:35] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:35] Speaker C: But I know I'm gonna have a big season on the Sopranos, and if you could hook me up with a ghostwriter, I'll tell them the stories. It's a cookbook novel. I have all the recipes. It'll be interesting. And it's a great story, loosely based on my life of a chef who wants to be great.
[00:22:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:52] Speaker C: It's a degenerate gambler and he's chasing after broads all the time and said, that's me.
[00:22:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:57] Speaker C: So he goes, okay. And I said, it's a meal to die for. So that's how I got the book done then.
[00:23:06] Speaker B: That's genius.
[00:23:08] Speaker C: I got an NFL licensed product.
And you go to. And I went to so many trade shows, NFL licensing show, and anything you can imagine is licensed. I mean, from, yeah, bottle openers to burn marks on pancakes or steaks with your team, so on. So I have a water container, 5 gallon water container that you see in an office or a home. The reason why we got it, because we had a little white Maltese and the iron in the water made the eyes turn black underneath, you know, like red, you know, from the eye.
[00:23:49] Speaker B: Yeah, right.
[00:23:50] Speaker C: So my wife hated that. So she said, we got to get water so we could give the dog for water. I said, okay. And I'm looking at it and I go, you know what? That bottle so ugly. It'd be nice to put a cover over it with my team on it, which is the Giants.
And I researched it, and I'm friends with the New York Giants because I'm a huge hardcore Giants fan. And they hooked me up with the NFL licensing, and the NFL licensing hooked me up with a guy who manufactures in New York, like, you know, material. And it was a sleeve. It's called skins, the sleeve that goes over the bottle. So it was very successful. Yeah, well, I got it made, I should say. And then I did a charity. I was invited to a charity, and they were honoring, like, the vice president for Home Depot, and they went I said, if this guy's a fan, I know I'm in. I go over to him and he goes, vito. And I go, his name is Joe. He was vice president. I said, look, I just got to show you something. This is a cover goes over 5 gallon water. I know you got 5 gallon waters in Home Depot. It fits over a propane tank. I said, I want to get it into your stores. He goes, I'm going to set you up with somebody. So that's how that happened. I mean, so you know, I'm a hustler.
Yeah.
[00:25:10] Speaker B: And a very, very. A very good one.
[00:25:13] Speaker C: And yeah, you know, it's just like I always ask somebody what they do now. So you got me say, ask me what's going on. Actually, next month, March 14th, I'm going to be doing sort of a. In Boca Raton, this theater.
And this is where I met Rick.
Rick, okay.
[00:25:32] Speaker B: Yeah, Rettimar. So from Boca Raton. Picklers. He's one of the owners.
[00:25:36] Speaker C: Yeah. I don't know how I was staying in Boca. And I always Google pickleball courts near me. Like, I did it the first time. I didn't do. I didn't take my paddle. And I was in North Carolina. My friend Joe, who went from Home Depot now to Lowe's, I went to the pickleball courts. They were beautiful, but I had no paddle. And I was trying to borrow paddle. And you know, I'm a North Carolina. Not better than recognize the. So I was like, oh, what's the deal over here? People have like TVs here or what? I says, veto on the Sopranos. So I wound up borrowing the paddle. I did it for like four days in a row. I go, I'll never travel without a paddle. So whenever I go somewhere, I always Google pickleball courts near me. And then for some reason, I came across Boca Raton pickleballers. And I was like, hey, I would like to meet with you guys. You know, hang out, hit the ball, you know, play. And Rick responded. We finally hooked up. So that's how we introduced me and you. Rick is a good guy. Good guy. Yeah.
So I was warming up with this guy. The courts were like, where Rick plays it in Boca. And you know, he's saying he's a producer, works for News Nation, but his wife runs a theater. And in Boca Raton, 300 seat theater. And he was handing out the cards. And I see the office trivia show and I go, you know what? I do this Soprano trivia show with a guy in New York and so I said, we should do it. There he goes. His wife ran it and she said she would love that. So I said, but I don't want to make this just trivia shows with like, you know, it's usually in a bar, they have teams, and it's very raucous and they're drinking. This is going to be 300 seats. So I said I want to make it more of a show, right. Tell stories, show pictures, show videos. So that's what I got coming up March 14th. And I think that if we do it really well, which is kind of hard because we only going to have one rehearsal, so everything is. And I got a director and producer involved. I think we can, like, take it around the country. Really? I think we could take it around the country. I think that it's got legs, really. So.
[00:27:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:27:56] Speaker C: And. And then. I don't know.
[00:27:57] Speaker B: Something tells me you're pretty good on your feet.
I. I can probably pretty good on your feet. Like, you might not have it all set when you show up that day, but once you hit the stage, I'm sure you'll be fine.
[00:28:08] Speaker C: Yeah. Because I'll tell you why, you know, I do these cooking, soprano cooking parties in people's homes, you know, and they love it. They get it for a. A gift for their husband, their brother, their father. And it's like I have a minimum of 16 people, and my food is, you know, I always take seriously what I do. I'm not doing mozzarella sticks. I'm doing like, you know, 20 different appetizers, a pasta course, and then entrees. And I'm there 10 hours. I do all the shopping.
[00:28:41] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh.
[00:28:42] Speaker C: Once the food is out, I tell my story, which is kind of unique that you kind of heard. And then I'll do a Q and A. And the quite. Those lead into more stories. So I'm going to tell those stories like I do at the dinner parties to the audience, you know?
[00:29:00] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:01] Speaker C: Yeah. So it should be because you got them down.
[00:29:03] Speaker B: I mean, it's not something that you. You've done this your whole life. So it's like. I know I give talks from time to time on different things and I've spoken in front of audiences. My. My major in college was public speaking, so I have so much material that I can just grab and pull upon that I feel comfortable enough that I could go into any place and they can go, okay, talk about X. And if it has something to do with what I've covered, even if I don't I could probably bullshit my way through it anyway.
[00:29:29] Speaker C: Right? You don't have to learn a script. You know it. You know what I mean?
[00:29:33] Speaker B: Exactly. Yeah, exactly.
[00:29:34] Speaker C: That's the easy part about it.
So, yeah, that's what I got coming up.
[00:29:40] Speaker B: That's gonna be. That's gonna be a lot of fun. That's gonna be pretty cool. I hope somebody like you should get that film to have some videographer do that for you, too.
[00:29:48] Speaker C: We are gonna film it. We are gonna film it because, again, we think it'll be nice. Make it a sizzle reel and we could pitch it to different theaters. You know, between pictures that. I have a lot of pictures. A lot of the cast was at my wedding. So those are gonna be great pictures. I got stories about that, you know, videos and stories and just the questions. And I don't know if we have friends on Instagram or Facebook sleeves, but I did a short little skit with this guy I played pickleball with, who's a comedian and a producer. Comedian. I forgot to say, he's a comedian. He wrote a short little skit. And I tell you, it's got over 100,000 views. This little thing takes place in a nice.
[00:30:33] Speaker B: Is that where people are walking in and you're behind the counter? Yes, I saw it yesterday.
[00:30:38] Speaker C: Very good.
[00:30:39] Speaker B: It's excellent.
[00:30:40] Speaker C: Yeah, it was funny. People loved it. People go, ah, that's the Joey I know.
[00:30:44] Speaker B: It's really good.
[00:30:46] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. So I said to the guy Dave. He was the guy. The guy Dave is the guy who was craving rum raisin, you know, if, you know, if you remember.
[00:30:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:30:57] Speaker C: And I said, dave, listen, I think we got something here that this could develop into like a streaming kind of thing or a show, you know, and what makes me so miserable because I'm miserable in the show, you know, in those little skits. Like, we can't just keep doing one liners. We got to develop a show. But I'm miserable because my financial advisor told me to invest in a business and all you can do is collect money. The manager on everything. I got a manager. He got sick. So now I'm scooping up ice cream trying to get a manager, and I'm gambling and losing. And I was supposed to have all this big career after the Sopranos, which never happened, and now I'm losing money, I'm living in Florida. So that's like the premise of this idea, and I'm going to call it I Scream S C R E A M. Because, you know, I'm so, like, mad. I Could scream. You know what I mean?
[00:31:51] Speaker B: It's a. I mean, Larry David made an entire show about himself, obviously, curb your enthusiasm. Which, you know, whatever, 20 seasons. And it's. I mean, that stuff works. If you have a story and you have a rich life, like you do, with tons of different angles and tons of different, you know, experiences. I don't know, man. I think you're on to a few things here with the theater work and the shorts.
[00:32:15] Speaker C: Yeah, well, again, turn that into a hip hour show to think about love of Larry David. Is that. Like when I did those takes on that little thing you saw? I gave a different answer every, like. Like seven, eight times, I gave a different answer. He picked out those. But the guy came up to me, goes, listen, I'm a comedian. That was very impressive that you gave a different answer every time.
Like five times, you know, each five, five, six, seven times. The one who. I said, the woman says, I'm watching my. My weight. What do you recommend? And I said, ozempic. That was the guy's. That was the guy's mother. She kept laughing. And he would say, ma, you can't laugh. And so she. I'd say, what do you recommend? I said, well, there's a spa across the street. There's a gym across the street. Why don't you start with that? Or I'd say, why don't you take a walk around the block? And then, you know, we'll start with that. Or. And then I'd say, yeah, sorry, I got no salad here. Or steamed broccoli.
[00:33:17] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:33:18] Speaker C: She kept laughing. I go, listen, here's how I want you. Picture me stabbing your son in the eye with a pen.
Yeah, you'll stop laughing. All right. Then she got serious. That's how we got the take.
[00:33:30] Speaker B: So that's perfect, because it's a throwback.
[00:33:34] Speaker C: But it's all good. I got all that stuff thing. But getting back to pickleball, I mean, I. I play so much because everyone says, oh, have fun. Have fun. Even when I'm playing golf, you know, I'm not a talker. I'm not there to drink beer. I walk the course. I carry my clubs, right? I want to be good. I want to be very good. You know, I'm not going to be a pro, but I want to be very good. Like, they go, you know, he's really good. He could play with us. He could hang with us. I mean, it's only a year that I'm playing, but that's the whole point of playing pickle. I You know, whatever I do, I always want to be, you know, good at something. You know what I mean? Like a chef that if you're gonna.
[00:34:15] Speaker B: Do it, do it right.
[00:34:16] Speaker C: Right? And, you know, I want people to say, I mean, all of my reviews on Facebook, they talk about it. There's all these different groups, and, you know, it's always about the food. My food's like, you know, the most important thing. If they don't eat my. Like, my food. And I do a wide variety of different appetizers, you know, and my clam sauce is, you know, top notch. And I got one rule. No cheese on my clam sauce. Because the canes, you're not supposed to have cheese on, like, fish sauce. You know, you gotta taste the clams, you gotta taste the crab sauce. And sometimes I catch them sneaking in cheese. They sneak it under the table, and they pass it. And I walk around, I go, I could tell there's cheese on it. I go, it puts me in a bad mood. It's a bad habit I have. I actually walked out of my new Christmas Eve in my house when I got. I was so annoyed that they put cheese on it, and I was gone for an hour. And they, like, were freaking out. They go, are you insane? You've got a house full of people here, and you walk out, you have all this food you have to cook. I go, I told you I don't want cheese on the pasta. And they did it. Anyway. Anyway, it's a little mental. It's a mental thing. So ask me some questions, brother.
[00:35:36] Speaker B: Yeah. So before we get you out of here, talk to me about your vodka.
[00:35:40] Speaker C: I met someone. I was there somewhere, somewhere out. And he goes, hey, I'm a big fan.
Would you be interested in having, you know, your face on your vodka? I said, gotta be something I like. And I tasted it, and I go, this. Wow, this is really smooth. And he says, well, because it's made from grapes imported from Spain. It's bottled in Spain, Madrid, tempranillo grapes. I said, but this is very smooth. And I said, what's good is that I can cook with this. I can make penne alla vodka. And I do that in restaurants, you know, when I cook on the floor. Yeah. And anybody will tell you that you order vodka sauce in a. You don't taste the vodka.
So what I do is I like to spray the top of it with a spray bottle so they actually taste it. I hit about four or five sprays, and they go. Now you taste. And they go, that tastes so great. I just recently did it on Fox and Friends. I did it for them. Okay.
[00:36:41] Speaker B: Yeah. Cool.
[00:36:42] Speaker C: Yeah.
And so that's how I did it. I said, listen, I would drink this vodka and that's how it started. So again, I know a lot of people. I go into restaurants and bars and they recognize me. I say, listen, I would love to do an event here with the vodka. Could be cocktail party and so on. So it's kind of rough business. I mean, it takes a lot of time, but you meet a lot of people.
[00:37:08] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think that's really what sort of. When we tie it back to pickleball, that's what I enjoy about the sport compared to other sports I've played is you find a good group of people anywhere you go. Like you can bring your paddle and you can generally jump in somewhere and meet some really cool folks and, and have, have some fun whacking the whiffle ball around. And at the end of the day, for me, you know, at my age, that's really kind of what it's about is, is building those relationships. And like you said, you know, those are always. That you can take them where you want. Those could be really good networking connections.
[00:37:41] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. Again, it's amazing. You know, there's always pickleball going on wherever I am and you can just step in, you know, especially open play.
And there's a group and they, you know, you know, they, of course, you know, there's a lot of them, like a big fan of the show. And I go, well, let's take a picture. I'm always the first one to ask you one. Let's take a picture. Because sometimes people don't want to ask. They're embarrassed. They think it's.
And I'm listen, I do selfies. I bang them out all day. Rick will tell you so. Yeah, but that's the beauty of it. It's, it's always. There's pickleball courts everywhere. That's the beautiful of it and the beauty of it. And you know, always nice games and like, if I played, you know, basketball, it's hard to play a pickup game like at 7 in the morning. Yeah. You know, you can't play basketball really.
[00:38:36] Speaker B: Right.
[00:38:36] Speaker C: You know, or, I don't know, ice hockey for seniors or whatever. I guess maybe tennis. Yeah, I guess there's tennis. But 7:00 in the morning, man, pickleball courts are going indoor, outdoor. It's beautiful.
[00:38:50] Speaker B: It is. It's a, it's a phenomenal game that. Amazing. It's been around as long as it has. And yet it's really just started to capture the, the world in the last five or six years. My wife was teaching pickleball when she was a PE teacher 20 years ago. And I thought, oh, that sounds kind of wish, really. I wish I was playing it 20 years ago because that'd be really good now.
[00:39:10] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:39:11] Speaker C: Wow. Yeah.
[00:39:12] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:39:13] Speaker C: I mean, really. Wow, that's pretty.
[00:39:15] Speaker B: Yeah. 2003, my wife was teaching pickleball in PE.
[00:39:20] Speaker C: Yeah. I, I mean, maybe like five years ago I heard about pickleball and wow, that's, that's pretty cool.
[00:39:28] Speaker B: Really heard about it. Then I thought back, I'm like, oh, yeah.
[00:39:31] Speaker C: You know, there's one thing is that I got a, you know, I'm collecting these pad. I, I keep saying, okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna just stay with one paddle. But something else comes along and I get it. I just got it yesterday or the day before it was, it's a carbon, right? The crbn. I mean, I want to talk, but I got the true foam. Yeah, the foam. And I hit it. I, I, I couldn't get used to it. And so I must have about 10, 12 paddles. And the paddle I love most is the one that I got from Pro Drive. And I love the paddle. I love the handle. I love the leather, the leather thing, it's, it's. And I spray a little, you know, stick. And I actually got, I had a scouted down, but those little like silicone caps that go on the butt of it because I like to play with my pinky wrapped underneath. You know, I get more of a whip.
[00:40:26] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:40:28] Speaker C: And I love that. I love Pro Drive. It's like the best paddle I've, I've been using. So. There you go.
[00:40:35] Speaker B: Yeah. So I play with the Pro Drive and my sister plays with it as well. And it's, it's the, it's the best paddle we've ever played with. And I think it's sort of a, a well kept secret. I, I believe that company is actually going to be pretty big soon because that, that product, their products are, they're really good paddles. Really? And they last, they last, so.
[00:40:55] Speaker C: Oh, so I didn't know you play with it also. Yeah. Okay, good. So.
[00:40:58] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I love that. That paddle changed my game. I was like, when I hit that thing, I was, I was like, are you kidding me?
Yeah, I love it. My sister, my sister plays constantly with it. I have to play with different paddles because I review them, but I Always come back to the pro drive at the end of the day, it seems.
[00:41:16] Speaker C: So, yeah, there's some. Some paddles, like the ball jumps off it and it's got a different kind of sound and.
But this I've been having really. I really feel good with it and so I'm gonna stay with this paddle. I'm done with, like, trying different paddles. I'm done. I actually sent them back the. The true form. True foam. Yeah, I'm sending it back. I got it two days ago. And I go, I don't like it. I was still disappointed. I thought I would. I'm probably good for other players. I don't want to talk bad about a, you know, company and a paddle, but the pro drivers, for me.
[00:41:53] Speaker B: Yeah, me too. And that'll make Rick and Carl and Doug very happy because they love that paddle too. And obviously they sponsor the Boca Ritz Home Picklers. They're one of the sponsors. So it's all family, man. Right.
[00:42:06] Speaker C: Well, we're gonna get Rockavaca. We're gonna start sponsoring too in there.
[00:42:10] Speaker B: Yeah, now we're talking, man. Well, hey, Joe, I appreciate your time. I mean, obviously you have quite the life and quite the story and it's always evolving. I would love to talk to you in about a year, see where your pickleball game's at. Obviously you have a ton of things going with the, you know, the small theater work coming up that could blow up and then you're short, which I'll encourage people in the link in the description to go watch on. You find it on Facebook on his Facebook page and follow him as well. All the links in the description. If you want to follow what Joe's doing because it seems to be something new and exciting every month. And obviously you haven't seen the Sopranos. You've been living in a cave. Go watch it.
Thanks for your time.
[00:42:52] Speaker C: Yeah, there are still some that haven't watched. Actually just played with that pickleball the other day. Because, Joe, I gotta be honest here. My kids love the show. I've only seen a few episodes. I was like, are you. I mean, this guy is. It's Italian kid, you know, knock around guy. You would think it was the last guy who, you know, didn't see the show, you know, so I, you know, I don't take it personal. I go, listen when you get a chance and, you know, you'll watch it. But. Well, hey, listen, this has been a pleasure. This leads. I enjoyed this. I was looking forward to it. I was going to say we missed a few times. I go, I mean, we're going to make this happen. So we got it done. You know, I love to. I appreciate you. Meaning, I wish we were closer. We could have played together. It would have been fun.
[00:43:41] Speaker B: Yeah. I'm going to get down there. I got a ton of friends, obviously, and we'll get together on the court sooner than later. And we'll have a drink of your vodka, man.
[00:43:50] Speaker C: 100%. Either New York or Florida.
Either way, either one will work for me.
[00:43:57] Speaker B: All right.
Appreciate your time.
[00:44:00] Speaker A: Hope you enjoyed our conversation with Joe. What a great guy. What a character. All right, folks, you know what to do at the end of the day. Hey, let's pickle.
[00:44:17] Speaker B: It.
/ seniorpickl. . 
/ seniorpbreport 
