Everyone who followed the Texas Rangers from 2009 to 2016 knows that Derek Holland is a free spirit.
His nickname is Dutch Oven, after all.
Lost in all the fun things he did, from his impersonations to hanging out with Charlie Sheen on night in Anaheim to playing video games into the week hours, is that Holland is an incredibly hard worker, a great teammate and has a huge heart.
Much of that comes out as he sat down Thursday for more than an hour with the Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast. Holland was so good that for the first time in 15 episodes John Moore and I didn’t talk about the Rangers.
Granted, there’s not much to talk about these days with MLB players locked out. That is one topic Holland did not discuss, but just about everything else was free to discuss.
He talked about a few of his noteworthy mound visits from Ron Washington, how Detroit manager A.J. Hinch addressed the Houston cheating scandal, how Michigan football is going to win the national title, his thoughts on masks, and how he moved to a house across the street from his old one.
Most importantly, he discussed his charity work though the 60 Feet 6 Foundation. He has long been a supporter of the Do It For Durrett Foundation.
To listen to the latest episode, click the play button above or one of the links below. There is a fair amount cursing. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
Episode 15 of the Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast features Derek Holland unplugged