Alonzo & Logwone Mitz: Discipline, Legacy, and Letting Kids Find Their Own Path

Rhett Parker: welcome to another episode of surviving you sports. ⁓ And we have our first combo father son Alonzo Mitz Logwone Mitz and diving football. Welcome to show guys. Alonzo: Thank you for having me. Logwone Warrior Mitz: Thanks for having us, man. Rhett Parker: Absolutely. Let's start with you Lonzo. ⁓ Give us your background, where you're from, what you played, where you played, that story. Alonzo: Okay, I'll make it quick. From North Carolina, moved to Florida, attended Pierce Central, went to of Florida, and then from University of Florida, I dropped to Seahawks in 86. And ⁓ a quick wrap on that. You need more, I got it, but. ⁓ Rhett Parker: No, no, no, no, we're good. We'll dive into it. ⁓ I want to hear what it was like growing up in Florida playing, but we'll to ⁓ son, Logwone give us your background a little bit and where from and where you played. Logwone Warrior Mitz: Gotcha, you have born and raised outside of Seattle. Redmond, Washington, played in a little bit of Pee-wee there. Obviously went to high school there and then was honored to get a scholarship to Washington State. So I went there and then after graduating, got to play in the NFL, the first, the very first NFLPA senior bowl game where I almost fractured my ankle there. Tried to come out the next year after and had some short runs with some teams, other than that. packed up started ⁓ working in corporate ⁓ life. ⁓ Rhett Parker: 100%. Trust me, I get it. it's really weird. My brother ⁓ lives in Florida, and obviously I live in Washington state. And going watching my nephews and stuff, I mean, the culture of youth sports in those two places could not be any more different. So Lonzo, talk to me about, and this is obviously, ⁓ it's a generation, different time, but talk to me about growing up in Florida. Alonzo: ⁓ yeah. ⁓ yeah. Rhett Parker: football and did you play other sports? Tell me about that. Alonzo: Yeah, okay. Yeah. Growing up in Florida playing sports was a must. Point blank. Matter of fact, my homeroom teacher was baseball. He wanted me to play baseball. I went to play baseball for one day. And then I got down, I played baseball and I asked that coach, okay, what we're gonna do? What are gonna do? He said, practice is over with. I was like, are you serious? I was like, I was looking around because I was, could hit either side left or I can go hit right and I could hit left. And I didn't know that until I started swinging the club and it was nothing for me to hit right and left. And he loved that. So, he wanted me to play so bad. It was ridiculous. And, ⁓ I just, it ⁓ too boring. It just, no. Rhett Parker: You hurt me as a baseball person, you hurt me on that. Alonzo: Yeah, I was like this, we got to do something, grounder something. He said, you can go do whatever, but practice over with. And I was like, no. Anyways, I went to football and my first tackel believe it or not, you ever see the longest yard when homeboy stick his arm out and homeboy hits it? That was my first title. And I laugh about it now because it's pathetic, but I ran in front of the running back, ran passing. stuck my arm out and he ran into my arm. And that was my first tyke. And I say that for therapy now, because in fact, after I learned proper tyke and what have you from there, getting back to the Florida sports itself, I'm very honored to be a athlete because we are a whole different breed and I'm not trying to knock anybody else. I'm just, I've had my guys from the big 10 pack, 12 pack, 11 pack, 12, three, whatever it is, talk about football. And it goes, man, you guys, another whole level down there. And I was like, I never thought it was until I came up here and they got Hills to run it. They don't even run. We had to build Hills down in Florida. And then in Pihoke, Belgrade that muck. catching wild rabbits out at muck, you gotta have some speed. See, people don't know about that. That's a workout, catching chickens and in that muck in Belle Glade. Rhett Parker: You weren't doing that in Seattle, Logwone. Alonzo: No, had no muck in Seattle. Matter of fact, it's so funny. tell this to him and keep it brief. My first day of practice at Seattle Seahawk, we got done and I was like, asked coach, I was like, okay, what do we do after this? He goes, son, practice is over with. So I go out and I do different drills. And then the players thought I was brown nosing. I wasn't brown nosing. I was working on ⁓ my because Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Alonzo: At Florida, we practice. We had, you ever heard four days? You heard two days, right? You heard three days. You ever heard four days? We had four days at Florida. Rhett Parker: ⁓ yeah. Alonzo: Looking back, I just shook my head and I leave it there because a whole lot of stuff involved and all that. And brings a different person and different athlete out of Florida. So that's why Florida's where it's at Rhett Parker: Hey, rules were different. Rules were different. Yeah. Logwone Warrior Mitz: For real. Rhett Parker: in Seattle, Logwone. I don't think you're doing four days in the state of Washington, I can promise that. We ain't doing four days in Washington state, I tell you that. We'll probably get arrested for that. Alonzo: What, what, what was that? Logwone Warrior Mitz: Yeah, we did. Alonzo: No, Y'all ain't even doing three of these. Logwone Warrior Mitz: birthday. We had some three days. We definitely had some three days. Alonzo: ⁓ okay. All right. Rhett Parker: it's weird because look, you're a baseball football guy, right? Florida's different place and then Washington, what baseball, football, how did you navigate the Sports process in Washington? Logwone Warrior Mitz: it was on me second, third grade that I couldn't play football anymore. I couldn't play ⁓ a skilled position in football because I weighed too much. I was over 100 in second or third grade. So were like, you got to play with your hand on the line or that's it. And playing deep defensive end or defensive line, that's fine. But on offense, like, what do I do? Just sit here and just watch the team. So I literally didn't play football between third and seventh grade. Alonzo: you Logwone Warrior Mitz: And so it was just baseball and basketball, but really baseball like was just fun. It was natural for me. I didn't ⁓ understand until I got up to what is the majors level and I played up I when I was seven. So got on little all-star team, the seven, eight all-star team. And then I'm like, okay, like this thing might go somewhere. And then every single year after that making all-stars and being able to go play other teams other than. just Redmond West or Redmond North, like it obviously gives you that exposure and it's fun. But then when I was like 10, 11, I was like, like people are scared to like pitch to me. It's kind of weird. So like, it going to be a home run or is it going to be a freaking ripper down the third base line and down third base line still be able to like get a triple out of that in Little League is kind of crazy. But Rhett Parker: Yeah. Alonzo: Yeah. Rhett Parker: Right. Logwone Warrior Mitz: it was just fun for me playing and then, get to seventh grade and definitely wait enough to make varsity. So being able to make varsity and then that was kind of all she wrote as far as middle school, sports goes. But basketball, like I was always defensive rebounding. That was it. Get a fast break. It's going off the backboard, flying back to half court. So I was just always just going 100 miles per hour. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Logwone Warrior Mitz: couldn't make, could, but definitely was not, it hit no jump shots. It was strictly defense and rebounds for me on the basketball court. Rhett Parker: Hmm. Alonzo: Yeah. Rhett Parker: That's funny. Alonzo: Hustle, total hustle. He had to actually, I'm not too into swarms, chubby and true, he was Mr. Baseball until he got to the name grade and I was like, he didn't play an ending of baseball in high school. Of course, it ⁓ it is. But I loved him play football because he was a monster. I mean, and he finished plays and he flat out. Rhett Parker: Yeah. Yeah. Alonzo: truck you if you ain't trying to hit him lower whatever. He still tried, because his thighs was like huge and that started when was a certain age. I used to go have him standing in corners on one foot. No, no, first I said standing in corners and I was like, no, no, no, no, one foot. I knew he was going to switch to the other foot. So you see, if you ever see his thighs and calves, that's from saying, and it was for two minutes and his mom said, when he ever figure out Rhett Parker: Hmm Alonzo: two minutes is two minutes instead of 10 minutes. gonna basically hate ⁓ So, ⁓ ⁓ Rhett Parker: Yeah, right. But here's what's here's what's interesting. He was starting to talk about baseball and basketball. And I was watching you on camera. your face lit up. Because I could see you remembering the hustle of the basketball, you just said it, and baseball and ripping shots and all stars and, and and talk to me about that as a parent, because obviously you played at very high levels and Me and you, Logwone, played it, know, roughly the same levels of college, division one and low levels of professional. But man, I saw that look and I'm like, man, I want that look one day with my kids now of like, just, man, I remember this and I remember that. Tell me about that as a parent, especially given your background. Alonzo: Well, and looking at Logwone growing up, was truly, and I'm going to say it to him, it was an honor watching him. I he played football because he wanted to make me happy to a certain point, but ⁓ I love him play baseball. I mean, man, and seeing pitches, the pitcher up is trying to pitch to him, knowing he's going to knock it out of the park. He's gonna knock it out. Every once in a he get a ground or third base or a first base and he's on third base. It's like, how many guys go to third base on a grounder? I mean, like I said, I played baseball one day. ⁓ but watching them play, man, it was, ⁓ it was fun. It was fun. And I watched, I love watching them play football too, but basketball, he's to get a rebound. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Right. Alonzo: and he's going to put the ball down, down the court. He's not going to shoot no three points, but everything in the paint belongs to him. So with that, watching that with your kid and seeing it firsthand basis, I had an older son as well, who was a hell of a football player. But the ⁓ watching Logwone just, just ⁓ and basketball. He didn't play soccer, but ⁓ and basketball, he could play. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. That's awesome. thing. Yeah. So I played, I'll give you I played soccer one day. And they looked at one day and they go I hurt like three people and they're like, all right, you're you ain't coming back out by like done. So I hear and I'm like, why we're just kicking the ball and running back. That's I had the same feeling about. And now I watch my my kids all play soccer because my wife played. And I'm like, Alonzo: if you want to. Logwone Warrior Mitz: You Alonzo: one day. ⁓ man. Rhett Parker: Okay, I enjoy watching. I like you with baseball. I love watching. So because I, I sort of know what's going on, but not really. And I'm like, I run it up and down. Like, I don't need to be good at it to enjoy watching my kids play. It's actually more fun not really knowing what the hell is going on to a certain degree, just watching them have fun. So, okay, so, so let's see if my math is correct. You were born ⁓ Alonzo: Yeah, really. Right, that was me. Rhett Parker: late, late 60s, or right around early 60s. Okay, I was giving you too much credit. My bad. You look great. You look great. Um, so I almost feel like and we've talked about it a little bit. Okay. There's almost like three genera, because I got old school. Well, old school to me being 43 means Alonzo: 63 Yeah, it's okay. Right. Rhett Parker: seven, 60s, 70s, It's very different. And then there's kind of the old new where, you know, I was in high school in the early ⁓ look one, you were right around that time. And then there's like today and, ⁓ and yeah, And people want to talk about, know, we, listened to some of these other podcasts. This is why we're like doing some of this, and they're, they, they give the back in my day, well, there's some things back. Alonzo: ⁓ Jin Z's? Rhett Parker: in your day that think are going, man, that was great. Not not specializing in one sport, not doing this, and then there's some really good things today that we know about nutrition and health and safety and, working out that we all even us Logwone that we didn't even know. Man, so I think, I want to talk about all three as a group here. Like, it's okay to agree that some things back in 1973 or 75 were better than today. And it's okay to agree that things today were better than 1975. I want to draw on you guys here, especially football, we're missing the boat on why we're doing this stuff. It's to have fun, become a fan of sport. And then if you're really good, go at it, go play at high level. So talk to me about the seventies and the eighties and you're coming up through sports and obviously you were an athlete one day of baseball people begging to play baseball, but. What are missing today that that we could take from back then that we could really use today in your eyes? Alonzo: I'll give you one word, discipline. Rhett Parker: Love it. Wait room, classroom, field. Alonzo: I like all the above. If you want to play ball for me as a coach now today, I'm gonna ask your mom, did you clean your room? I know it ain't got nothing to do with football, but it has something to do with everything else that's involved. If you cannot listen to your mom and your dad at home, what possibly can you do for me? Seeing a lot of coaches basically let kids get away with murdering. They run out there. Their gloves are not strapped on. Their helmets is not. I mean, they're trying to be all cute. No, once you get your butt toe up one time, you want to strap and tighten everything up, but they won't. They're not going to get it because of the fact that right now they're hitting. Look at NFL now. I'm jumping ahead. Look at NFL. The kickoff. the hell is that on the kickoff? You kick off and okay. All right. Rhett Parker: Right, that's fine. Alonzo: Okay, all right. Okay, he got the ball. Let's No, you run down there, the tattoo is but and he gets the ball and you would then 10 yards or five yards of him. You got to do something. Now you got 20 yards away and you catching the ball. I mean, that's just kickoff by itself. I mean, I can, every hit I hit probably when I play, I'll probably be kicked out of the game because I hit through the player. player like running back like Logwone. my gosh. I'm bringing the hat on him. Cause I cannot, I cannot, I cannot leg tackle him. You cannot leg tackle. You got to bring the hat on him. Point blank. And your hat is putting the hat on the ball. They call that putting the hat on the ball. If the player moves, you just got target. They call that targeting. I mean, like I said, ⁓ back, jumping back and forth and roundabout way as a player growing up. Rhett Parker: Hahaha Alonzo: I think personally, discipline, discipline, discipline. They don't have the discipline now. And now it's like, ⁓ he's okay. Don't worry about it. He'll be all right. Then you got your parents pretty much coaching from the sidelines. Put my son in the game. But at home, rooms all raggedy, everything all crazy at the house. Think about it, that carries over to the game itself. Logwone never ever had that issue. He'd been cleaning, doing things, he was 18 months. Months, 18 months. That's after a year old. finished a toy, he put it away. He get another toy. He didn't leave the toy laying on the ground. All the house, you just step on it say, what the hell is this? I mean, ⁓ and I'm not saying that because, you got a box, right? ⁓ Rhett Parker: Yep. Yep. We got a box. We got a box. if it's in there on Sunday, it's getting donated. It's getting donated. See ya. Alonzo: But the whole shoot, see, and that's the second less, that's where you at right now. Pretty much his eyes got thrown away, but he made sure that he didn't get thrown away. Yeah. Rhett Parker: Or donate it throw it away. I don't care if you can't put it away then you don't need it It's not important to you ⁓ and you discipline. It's not a priority to you Okay, well if that's not a priority to clean your room or put your toy away or go lift for the high school college athletes or or Go go watch film or whatever then then it doesn't mean that much to you, and that's okay Alonzo: That's true. Doesn't mean I'm not sure, man. Rhett Parker: Now in the sport side of things, that's okay. If it doesn't mean that much to you, you're just having fun. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm not going to knock people for that, but don't tell me in the next sentence and the next breath, Hey coach, man, I really want to go division one or go pro. Don't tell me that. Like, don't, don't, don't tell me that. And in Logwone, we talked, she talked about discipline, I don't even want to think about you at 18 months because that's scary. Alonzo: Right. Right. Yeah. Rhett Parker: you're like my Knox, just a man child, but ⁓ the discipline even ⁓ sort when we were up early ⁓ 2000s, late 2000s is even than what he's talking about to a degree, right? talk to me about that, because you're not quite in the sports world yet. I mean, you're sort of getting there because your son LJ is what? Five. Alonzo: were. Yeah you was. ⁓ Logwone Warrior Mitz: you Five. Yeah. Rhett Parker: You're almost I mean, you're you're getting to that point. But talk to me about discipline as relates to what your dad said versus versus you coming up in high school and college and all Logwone Warrior Mitz: I would say I started to understand real quick. He had been saying that when I was when I was, three, four, five, six. I didn't know what the hell he meant. Til I was about seven and a half choices, decisions and consequences. And you can take that however you want to take it, right? The the fact of the matter is. Alonzo: Yeah. Logwone Warrior Mitz: I was trying to make it choices, choices, decisions, rewards, then consequences, right? And I wasn't just, getting my butt tagged. It had to do with things ⁓ on off the field, the court, the diamond, all of that. And I think that that's kind of what navigated me towards everything that pursued after. Alonzo: Ha ha. Logwone Warrior Mitz: eight, nine, 10 years old when I really started to understand that one concept. Because I always was like, choices, decisions, the consequences. I don't know what that means. So I just kept I just kept being reckless doing stuff. But you, know, you have all these diagnoses that they try and give these kids and whatnot. that didn't put me into a box having ADHD and being a man child and all this and that. like when you put your mind to it, you can get you can accomplish whatever you want to do. Alonzo: and Logwone Warrior Mitz: right, whether it's talking academically or athletically, all the above. And so, taking that and applying that ⁓ throughout childhood, school, allowed me to have some phenomenal experiences, right? Which we would have won a hell of a lot more in college, of course, but I can't control that, right? I'm ride or die. I'm very loyal. that's didn't transfer to Boise State. Would I have five rings on my fingers right now? Yeah, cool. TCU, all right, maybe Cal, Hawaii. But that wasn't what the maker made for my pathway. And so obviously I stayed there and am ⁓ super grateful to have my Coug Nation, full-fledged Coug Nation, all five years that I was there and all the connections and relationships that I've made from that. So anyway. connecting that to to now and not being quite in that youth sports world. know, LJ is on his first basketball team right now. They're slaughtering everybody in the league. And they're a foot taller than everybody. There's like three of them. They're a foot taller than everybody else on the court. But it's funny because seen parents, some of them on his current team, their kids were doing stuff at two years old, three years old. And I was like, Rhett Parker: Poof. Right. Logwone Warrior Mitz: He'll be doing something when he's like five or six, maybe. Yeah. And and what he was doing year and a half ago, two years ago was taekwondo discipline, going back to going back to what my dad said and swimming requires discipline. ⁓ the things that they that he did for a year and a half before ⁓ reaching years old was Rhett Parker: So, he's fine. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Logwone Warrior Mitz: strictly discipline led so that it could, help shape the character that he is going to withhold for rest of his life, right? ⁓ And so it's just ironic how that just happened to fall in place. And that was my dad's answer, which we have never discussed that connection there. Alonzo: That's true. That's true of that. Rhett Parker: Which is interesting because said, ⁓ you he's doing taekwondo and gymnastics is something that a lot of people do as well. Our kids did a little bit of kind of loose gymnastics and we didn't get in taekwondo with the other kids. But our youngest is you well know, look one, he He's the most competitive person. I think I might have. mean, he's top five and I have to coach him. I have to because he won't listen to anybody else and he's going to get thrown out of games. Alonzo: you Rhett Parker: at 10. I've just tell you that ditch. But we just need to rein him in. I don't want him to stop. Hell no. I don't want him to so why the hell would I want him to stop that dude's gonna be super successful. We got him doing taekwondo for the same reason. Because he tried to pull something that taekwondo thing like two weeks ago. And the master was like, Hey, man, I'll tell you what, man, he boy he straightened right up and just gave the nod about like, all right, I'm watching. I'm like, all right, we're in the right spot. but I've seen lj Alonzo: Yeah. Rhett Parker: You're young and he come over to the house. He jumping off the slide that we got or whatever and the indoor slide and you take him to the park. He's doing it's okay to it's better to do that and go do swimming and gymnastics then play basketball two or three or hell even four or five like maybe that is going to be athletic because he's got good genetics, but he's also he's just he's just he's moving. It's about moving whether you're from Florida and the Alonzo: Yeah, amazing. Rhett Parker: 70s or you're from, Washington or Oregon now or 20, 30 years ago, just be good mover. It's like the sports stuff can all come, right Lonzo? I mean, how many guys, might've played, ⁓ man, I playing middle school or high school and they're freak athletes and you play with them in the NFL. ⁓ Not everybody's playing at six, ⁓ right? Alonzo: Yeah. No, I agree. I agree. Yeah. He didn't talk about She is fast. ⁓ my gosh. You've seen her run. Watch it. She's not just fast. ⁓ I mean, trust me, I know ⁓ when I see her, she's fast. How ⁓ ⁓ put that into that mold of just everything else? Like you said, moving. Rhett Parker: ⁓ yeah! ⁓ yeah! 100%. Yeah, moving movements and and you said something interesting because I was talking to somebody about this this week. And I love both your guys's takes because you both played just just like I did in a different sport football. And I watch kids in different sports and I'm like, man, who cares about the result of whatever match or game or they're in. But I watch him move. And I go, man. Alonzo: Yeah, she's a moth. Yeah. Rhett Parker: it looks really slow for them. Like the game is just, it's just slower for them. Like, doesn't mean the other people on the field or the diamond or whatever, or the court that, that, that they're not good players that they're playing against or with, but they have to work really hard to, to, to, be successful. And I watched these other people and I'm like, man, just kind of just glided over there was in the right position. ⁓ Alonzo: Alright. Mm-hmm. Rhett Parker: And then move and you're like, man, I'm not there's there's even when you move up to the highest levels, talk to me about like guys that you play with against that were like that and what that means to parents or coaches or players listening in. Alonzo: We had a player in college named Weber Marshall, linebacker, got drafted to Chicago. You probably heard of him. I went in high school at 6'3", 255 running 45-40, 45-46. Weber did not run no 45 or no 46. but he was tenacious. mean, man, would tear you ⁓ between ⁓ line of scrimmage and the quarterback. Anybody in that vicinity, he would tear them ⁓ And I'm looking, I was like, he ain't really that big. It just looking at him doing that, it's like, okay, now I'm faster than he is, but I need to learn how to be as tenacious as he is and doing he's doing. And then I basically, It just clicked. But I still didn't know how good I was even in my second year in the league playing defense alignment for Seattle. My coach pulled me to the side, coach George Dyer. He said, Zo, Zo, come here for a second. He goes, you have no idea how good you are, do you? I said, coach, I'm just playing. That's what we do in Florida. We play, we play. He said, Zo, Zo, Zo. just go and relax. Cause he knew if I relax, I'm gonna be more productive. And he was right. I was faster and I was more basically quicker on all the moves I had that was going on. And it was good to finally see that at that time. So. Rhett Parker: There's a guy that played in league forever was super strong, London Fletcher, you guys obviously know. But if you looked at his speed there was an article about this years ago. He wasn't the fastest guy. He wasn't best mover laterally. He was really strong. I'm sure he wasn't the strongest guy, but he's really strong. But man, I'll tell you what, he's always in the right position and he always Alonzo: Yeah, yes, yes. Yeah. Rhett Parker: like just had the right technique. You could tell he studied film, all these things, and he's prepared. And he moved differently and he was cut angles correctly and all those things. And it's like, man, different. And that's why, God, what'd play? 15 years? I mean, he played forever. Alonzo: Long time. Yeah, Logwone Warrior Mitz: Yeah. Rhett Parker: even watching some of the youth sporting games and matches that I watch, you just tell them the game slower for people. And it doesn't mean they're the best athlete. They're athletic, but like, you, you, you talk about a guy, look one that's about to break the, the tackle record in the NFL Bobby Wagner. Talk about that and maybe there's a guy or two you can give a shout out to that you play with or against that is just different. Alonzo: Mm-hmm. Logwone Warrior Mitz: Yeah, I mean, I was saying was ⁓ like, don't just rack up 100 tackles ⁓ year for 10 years straight plus ⁓ counting for being able to navigate and know yourself, but also know based off a film, based off of who. ⁓ is on the scouting report, who can get to you? Who can you shed off as a defender and just focus on where the ball is going or where the ball is going to be at, right? He just has the ability to obviously do that on a different level. And he's not the biggest, the fastest. He's not 6'4", but he, mean, his wingspan ⁓ probably like 6'5". ⁓ got some incredibly long arms despite, that turtle neck. Rhett Parker: Yeah, for sure. There's gifts. I mean, he's got gifts just like, just like, you know. Logwone Warrior Mitz: but he gets to where he needs to be at, right? And so just mad respects to that. Somebody that I play with that surprised hell out of me. And it was ⁓ ability, discipline. Didn't matter what his size was, was Dayon Buchanan. Dayon Buchanan came in my junior year. We're doing spring ball. He came in. And the spring ballers, might have been fall training, I don't know. But Dayle came in a buck 72, maybe, maybe. I graduated high school at 235. So I don't know if it was a little dump swing route or a toss outside, whatever. And I'm going up the sideline. Dayle's coming over with his little skinny self coming from safety, screaming downhill, right? And I'm like, all right, I'm not going to buck him. because I'm on I'm on the sideline anyway, but loader shoulder man, the leverage that he tried to give me and if I was 210, oh, he would have had me on flat back. Did he knock me over? No, because I was 235, but I felt what he was bringing that once, not even 175 soaking wet. And that was the passion. mean, once he put on another 25 pounds. All-pack 12, first round draft pick, doing his thing, coming downhill, screaming, knocking dudes that are 3'25 on their backs because he had that dog in him that a lot of people didn't have. And unfortunately, I just didn't have that because I was always that man-child. And then when I got to being too big, I started playing up. And then it was like, oh, these fools are like, these fools might hurt me because they know I'm two years younger than them. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Logwone Warrior Mitz: So that kind of messed up my mental psyche with like hitting wise in football because there was just, they were two years older than me. And that's, that's difference, especially on the football field. Even if I'm the same size, I didn't have the maturity and mental capacity to want to take that on. I had the ability to out, shift them this and that sometimes. But I mean, I got, I got, I got clapped up a few times on the field. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Right, big difference. Right, right. Logwone Warrior Mitz: when I didn't need to or if I would have it to them, ⁓ would have been a different story. And that kind of navigated through high school, ⁓ high and high school with me. But in junior high and high school, I just had the ability to just run you over for free and in some cases outrun people. Rhett Parker: And you just said something interesting. two things I got. This is great stuff for people to listen to. One, touch on that. Sometimes you're better than the people you're playing against. And we ⁓ on this and lot of people that play Division I sports or professional sports, even at the lowest levels, you've been on fields. You're the best player. There's whether you're in Florida or why it doesn't if you're that good, you're on fields that maybe is for different sports, same sport, whatever. You're just better than people because you're gifted at some point that goes away. I mean, but in Lonzo, there's people that were also 6 3, 275 that could run in the league for sure. Like, you're not the only guy, right? And Alonzo: Yeah. Rhett Parker: is it going to come full circle? If you want to play sports at a high level, those gifts will take you a long way. But it's the discipline. We talked about Bobby Wagner. You think Bobby Wagner doesn't get hurt because he's lucky? He doesn't get hurt because I guarantee you he's doing everything with his body in season to maintain off season injury prevention, weights, nutrition, sleep. He is, there's no way you last that long in any sport and not be doing those things. And people can clown on Logwone. Logwone puts a lot of money, time, effort, energy into his body. And it's why Tom Brady, same thing, like, so it's a full circle, like your gifts take you a long way. But man, if you don't have that other piece, at some point, your body will fail you, even if you're in the league. Alonzo: Yeah. Rhett Parker: and any sport your body will fail you because you're not taking care of it. We all get older. Lonzo, you just said, man, don't get old. know, well, unfortunately we're all getting older. But ⁓ love it because it's kind of full circle guys. It's full circle. ⁓ we've just talked about. Alonzo: you Rhett Parker: You guys came up in very different eras, right? And we've touched on this a little bit. What do you want to tell people today? Because because obviously, LJ is not in football, your five year old Logwone. And what do you want to tell people about, like, advice for parents, players in football, specifically two people that played very high levels and very different eras? Alonzo: you I personally, I keep it real short. And a lot of parents today got an issue with what I initially talked about. Discipline. They got an issue with discipline in their kids because they're afraid of the reaction they're going to get from the kid. And I tell them over and over again, I goes, remember you were here first. They're second. You were here first. So. If they got an issue with the way that you're trying to discipline them, and success is not going to work. Perfect example with Logwone, if I get back to him, I love him dearly and I'm very, very proud of him. He was disciplined on the field. He's my most disciplined kid playing sports, even my oldest son, they would have given him whatever hell he wanted. But Logwone was a disciplined one. And now with the business that he's in his business right now, in order to be successful, you got to be disciplined. It is not just on the field, it's off the field as well. ⁓ stick to my guns because it is in the pudding. It shows the fact of where he's at, the success, where he came from, to where he's at right now. And I... Wish my dad was around to tell me what I tell him because I was trying to work so hard really to be him. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Alonzo: And I gave him what I had left. And that was a fact of discipline. Discipline is everything. Matter of fact, with his son right now, everybody think he's being too hard on Warrior. I call him LJ. I call him Warrior. Being too hard on him? No, he's not. It's backdoor discipline. Because if you let him get away with a whole lot of stuff, imagine what he's going to be like in the future. Not good. Rhett Parker: Right, Alonzo: because you're going to keep on trying to get away. It's like the players who was good when we was young, if they get older, if they stay consistent, they still stay good. If they get older, they still stay good. Once they out into an adult world of doing things, discipline wise, they still good. But if you let them get away with stuff throughout all those trends, it comes time for them to go into the real world, you got somebody that pretty much you don't want to trust. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Alonzo: You don't want to be around is questionable because they didn't have any discipline to help them throughout the way And they didn't have no parents. They had parents, but the parents who busy trying to be their friend. You could be their friend, their mentor, their dad, their mom. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Alonzo: But remember, you let them know I'm the dad, whether you like it or not. One day you'll be a dad and you understand the concept. But until that happens, I'm king, mom's queen. That's the way it is. So then the next, yeah. Rhett Parker: Love it. Love it. All aspects of life. That's all aspects of life. And I tell Logwone, on a less serious note, but it's true. cause you got two, okay? When you got four, yeah, two and count, okay? just four is a different, I just tell you, and it becomes... Logwone Warrior Mitz: Too uncounting, too uncounting. Rhett Parker: And this is for parents with a lot of kids. It's really hard to give everyone the attention they want. And that's why, as you talk about my little list doing taekwondo because man, everybody, because I'm the pickup after school, because I'm very blessed, to be able to do that and take them to practices and go to everything Man. Alonzo: That's true. Rhett Parker: It's hard parents to stay on your kids, especially when you got a lot of them. They all want a PCU and they want your attention. And you got it. Take a step back sometimes. And I get really frustrated because everyone wants my attention at once. Sometimes you gotta take a step back and you gotta read the room and be like, all right, who needs my attention right now? Like really needs it for discipline, for positive reinforcement. to stay on him about doing the right things. ⁓ It's mix of that, right? ⁓ You it. You got to stay with it. And man, I'll tell you what. Alonzo: Mm-hmm. Rhett Parker: It's when you got four competitive people, it's friggin you've been to my house enough of one. It's brutally hard. even even your son LJ sometimes come to my house and he's like, ⁓ my gosh, what is going on here, man? People are just fighting over over over over nothing over a card game. ⁓ but you just got to try to funnel it. Anyways, it's going to go a little bit. When you go to when you go to four, Logwone Warrior Mitz: Right. Alonzo: Consistency. Consistency is a key. Right. Rhett Parker: You better be ready people. Go ahead, Logwone. of football, discipline, what would you say? And obviously, know, LJ's big rough and tumble kid, maybe he plays some football. Like what are you seeing now, ⁓ Logwone Warrior Mitz: ⁓ he, know, to it ⁓ pretty A lot of people want to get me into coaching and I'm like, I... I'll run these kids in the ground. didn't you make practice yesterday? ⁓ I didn't feel like coming to practice. You didn't feel like it. Like you weren't in the ER. you didn't come down with mono or scrap. You just didn't come to practice. Like they're going out for the socialization aspect of it. There's very few dogs. doesn't matter what the sport I'm boys, girls, men, women, like ⁓ they're. are very few dogs that are reaching the surface even nowadays because they have all of these external factors and influences that are coming into play. Rhett Parker: Phone, phone, ⁓ my God. I'm seeing it now in middle school. I got twins in middle school, sixth grade. I'm like, they don't have a phone. And so their friends are like this. Who are you're sixth grade. Okay, your parents, great. Okay, but that's not what you're doing. Roblox and all this other stuff. I'm like, what the? ⁓ go ahead. Logwone Warrior Mitz: Exactly. A thousand percent. And so we're... Alonzo: Right. Logwone Warrior Mitz: Yeah, it's it's it's taken taking that just the the understanding of being a parent and the ⁓ of want to people want to lay up and have kids until they into the challenges that come with raising the child and then don't apply it and allow them to. have said devices in front of them all the time, always be in front of a screen, be able to go to dinner, whether we're talking about a two-year-old, a five-year-old, a 10-year-old, or a 15-year-old, why can none of those kids that can all speak, why are they not conversing with everybody else at the table? ⁓ because you have trained them to be on their tablet so that you and said company can have a conversation. Why don't you bring them into the conversation with you rather than put them on a tablet? If you're on a five hour plane ride, by all means. We should give the kid a tablet, but I see people that go to lunch with their kiddo. That's supposed to be daddy daughter, mama, son or family lunch, family dinner. Rhett Parker: Yeah, that's our rule. Yep, 100%. Yep, yep. Alonzo: Yeah. Logwone Warrior Mitz: and the kids are just sitting there on the tablet with it with with headphones on, not just oblivious to life and tying that all back to the understanding of the youth sports. There's no understanding of not what things should be just in my personal opinion. But if if you want somebody to be in sports or put them in sports because they said they want to be OK, you got to understand what comes with that. That's team camaraderie. That's discipline. Alonzo: Alright. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. And. Logwone Warrior Mitz: That's understanding the game. How do you do all that? By paying attention to your coach. Now we know some of the coaches are great positive reinforcers, even if they don't know the game and have the that some of us have to coach that. But that's okay, because they're great for that group of a team, right? Rhett Parker: Yeah, there you go. You just said it. There's different levels, especially nowadays with so much structure in, in U sports, which I don't agree with all of it. Hey man, if, if you want to go play, basketball and you want to practice once a week and then play a 40 minute game on Saturday with your buddies, that's all good. Go, go run around twice a week. That's all good. It there's nothing wrong with that. And that coach should be a lot different than the team. ⁓ that practices three days a week, that maybe go plays in some tournament. and support the hell out of both, but understand what your kid as a parent wants. If they don't want to be some great athlete, put them in the other league. Who cares? Let have fun. It doesn't matter. Yeah, let them do that. And I'll tell you what, you're full of garbage because when you talk about coaching, cause I said the same thing that you just said. Alonzo: Right. Rhett Parker: We talk about coaching and you take a step back. I'm gonna let my kid. I don't want to be their coach. And then you see how things are ran. You're you like, okay, nope, nope. going. I'm you will you will do exactly what I did, which is lie to yourself right now when your kids are young, you can go step in and be like, dude, they're not doing X, Y and Z, right? Man, or you get lucky as hell and find the right person to coach your kids, which is I pray for you. I hope I hope it happens for you. Alonzo: Yeah. Rhett Parker: But you step in there because you have to. You sit back and you go, dude, I just watched 10 kids stand around and two do things at a practice. That's why we didn't get Lonzo in baseball because they probably stood around too much. They didn't have different groups and the drill. You come to my practice, Lonzo, you'll play baseball tomorrow. You'll play the next few years because we're moving, we're doing things. But will find yourself Alonzo: I agree. Rhett Parker: wanting to step in if that's the case. heard it Lonzo, we're gonna call him out in a couple years when he's like, ⁓ my god, you should have seen this last practice. They just stood around and we're gonna be like, told you, told you, you'll be in. ⁓ Alonzo: ⁓ Yeah. He's aware of consistency. Consistency is the key. Logwone Warrior Mitz: Yeah, you put I mean, you put me on game. You put me on game with that a few months ago, right? You was like, or maybe a month ago, you said, hear what you're saying. I said the same thing. But what if that person that they are being coached by is a phenomenal human being and great ⁓ at doing job. They just don't know how to do it. Then it's like, OK, then it's like a game time decision. ⁓ Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Logwone Warrior Mitz: whether or not you set it. If it's both, they don't know what they're doing and they're not good at the positive reinforcement, especially at a certain age, right? Or age is, then it's like, okay, yeah, you got it. Rhett Parker: Yep. My son's little league oldest son, three years in Royce had the same coach. Great guy, holds him accountable. Holds him accountable, gets on him when he needs to get on him, puts his arm around him when he needs to put his arm around him. Doesn't know, he'd be the first to admit, knows nothing about baseball. He's like, Oh man, God, know, ask me for help a little bit or go help him a little bit. If my son wants to learn baseball, I'm here. I'm like, and I told him, I'm like Clint. I don't care if baseball, you don't need to. When he left his hat, he ran the hell out of them. I'm like, ⁓ awesome, him pay you too. Like, make him you back for the hat. The baseball stuff can come from me. So I'm lucky in that regard. But man, what you just said and Lonzo, you nodded your head. want your thoughts on this too. Man, that's what matters to me. ⁓ Especially he was 11 years old last year and 10 year before nine year before he got hold of accountable He was a bad teammate one time. He goes you're out Get out. You're not gonna show your teammates up. You're sitting next to me. Sit down. It was great. And he's like, ⁓ man I go, what do you mean? dude, I was over there inside. I was like, hell yeah He'd be a bad teammate showing his teammates up sit him So what I mean, you gotta feel the same way obviously he's talking about discipline, ⁓ yeah Alonzo: all right. I'm I'm I'm agreeing. It's just the fact that the very 43 or 36 year old saying what you're saying. I'm proud. That's what it comes down to discipline. If you discipline and consistency and like I said, look one knows both and trust me if he if he has to stick his face into something to get some attention from a coach. He ain't gonna bet an eye, but he's gonna let the coach, gonna, he do what I did with his coach in high school. I let Paluski, do what he do coaching wise, even though know pretty much, I'm trying to find nice way to say it. ⁓ Even though I knew he, Rhett Parker: Yeah. Sorry, he can't take his playing time away anymore. Alonzo: He wasn't worth much, put it like that, as a coach itself, because it was something that was thrown on him and he has so much talent. my gosh. This man had talent in his team, not just Logwone, he had two D1, three, maybe three D1 D that I was coaching. He had maybe two ⁓ D offense and switched over. They become, they still was D1s. I mean, and he had a running back that was Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Alonzo: phenomenal that ran through whatever. And then he had a fullback that was bigger than he was that that loved the block for him. It's like he really don't need no blocking. But if he did, he got this. mean, anyway, getting back to what I'm saying is I let him know the fact that I was there to assist D line. And what happened happened for whatever reason. I don't know. To this day, I don't understand. But the point is that Logwone had the discipline to do what he needs to do over there. I was D-line and he was running offense. the point is that I was so, once again, I was so proud of him because the fact that before he got to that level, he understood the consistency and commitment and discipline. Matter of fact, ⁓ don't remember, but I'm gonna say very quick. He put his plays. in his what did you have the one that you put your plays from offense inside of it and he was playing the game with his plays Logwone Warrior Mitz: you could customize your plays on NCAA. Rhett Parker: Mm Yeah, that's 100 % as smart. Alonzo: Right. That's smart. his playbook. You playing and having fun with your playbook even though you're the number one back in the backfield. But the point is that he put his plays in that game. And that, I him do that, I was like, I threw my hands up, I said, my job's done. Rhett Parker: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I was just gonna say job done, Good. That's awesome. Well, I will take it's first time I had two people on this is this has been great. I will take I've learned a few things. And again, I think when people listen to these, the a lot of the feedback that we've gotten this, just get you to think about things differently. And, discipline, consistency has been a large theme here. Alonzo: Yeah. That job was good. Right. Rhett Parker: and I can see the look in your eye sometimes as a proud parent multiple times, which is, which is the whole point of youth sports. And we're teaching people how to become great young men and women. but ⁓ I, I, even, I even learned every time I do one of these and I really appreciate you guys coming on and, ⁓ and, sharing experiences and your thoughts with everybody. Logwone Warrior Mitz: It's been a blast. definitely got to do it again as we, as we progress throughout the years ⁓ and ⁓ have a little more, a little more to to the fire when it comes to the parenting side on my end. ⁓ Rhett Parker: 100%, I'm in on it. Alonzo: Yeah. Rhett Parker: Yeah, well, take away your grandparenting side on this side. I tell you what, maybe we'll make a note two years from now when you're coaching because you couldn't let somebody else do it. we'll bring you we'll bring you guys back on and me and Lonzo have a good laugh together. Awesome. Alonzo: Yeah, We don't know everything, but whatever you pull from it. Take what works for you and use it. Rhett Parker: Hmm. hey, and you know what? We're gonna end on that because that that quote is gonna be all over social media once we drop this episode. I guarantee you that. That's awesome. I appreciate you both and for coming on and and I can't I can't wait to just to see LJ LJ grow up and you become a parent in this thing where Alonzo: Yeah. Logwone Warrior Mitz: Pretty excited man. Thank you. Alonzo: me as well. Take care. Rhett Parker: Awesome. Thanks guys.