Mastermind /// J. Olson

3 🎤

SPORTS CENTER

February 28, 2023

"Neil Everett here and joining me today is Chicago Cubs outfielder Dallas Bennett. Welcome, Dallas."

"Thank you for having me."

"Now, you were drafted by the Dodgers in 2015 and spent until the end of last season with them before you were signed by the Cubs after electing free agency."

"Yeah. My contract with the Dodgers following my call-up was only until the end of the 2022 season and I decided to elect free agency. It's not that I was unhappy with the Dodgers. I wanted to see if any other opportunities came up."

"So, you grew up in Connecticut and got drafted out of New Milford High School."

"I was and I'm still a Connecticut girl at heart. I was born and raised in the Hartford area and I love going home after the season."

"Now, you just revealed you're in a relationship with Jackson Olson."

"Yeah, Jackson and I have been together for eight years now. He's been my biggest supporter ever since high school and even more so after I was drafted."

"So, eight years and nobody knew?"

"A few people outside of our families knew. Cody Bellinger met Jackson during the 2017 World Series games and then Christian Yelich met him in 2019 at the All-Star game. Jackson met Mookie Betts during one of the spring training games in February 2020 and then met Aaron Judge at the 2021 All-Star game."

"Speaking of All-Star games, you've played in four of them."

"Yeah, I have and I'm super grateful that I was selected for them."

"So, Jackson's an MLB Ambassador and infielder for the Savannah Bananas. How did that happen?"

"It's a funny story. Jackson posted a series of TikToks about dreaming of playing for the Bananas and the owner, Jesse Cole, saw them. Jackson got the call and had his first game in August 2022. He thought that after his college career finished, he wouldn't play anymore. I was fortunate enough to be given that weekend off to travel to Savannah, Georgia for his first game, and I had a lot of fun."

"Did any of his teammates know about you guys?"

"No. They all found out when we made our relationship public on social media. We have posted each other on our Instagram accounts but we never said we were dating. Yes, we have used phrases like 'my girl' but we always worded our captions as if we weren't dating."

"How have you guys managed to last eight years with the distance?"

"We struggled at first but we managed to make it work. Jackson graduated from the University of Hartford in 2020 and did a year of grad school at Stetson University in Florida for his final year of collegiate eligibility. In 2021, he moved out to Los Angeles. When he was named a member of the MLB Creator Class, I was incredibly proud of him. He did a stadium tour during the first half of the 2022 season and after the All-Star game that year, he was off to Savannah to play for the Bananas."

"And it was back to long distance."

"Only for about a month. As I said, I was given the homestand against the Marlins and Brewers off to travel to Georgia to watch him play. After the season was over for the Dodgers, I went home to Connecticut for a few weeks before joining Jackson for the 2022 World Series. We went back to Los Angeles and I got signed by the Cubs the same day that it was announced that Jackson would be playing for the Bananas in 2023."

"So, explain to me what the Savannah Bananas do."

"The Savannah Bananas play a fast-paced version of baseball. They're not amateur players. Some of the guys who are playing this season are former draftees and Minor Leaguers, like Jake Skole who was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2010, Reece Hampton who was drafted by Detroit in 2018, and Eric Jones Jr. who was with Minnesota and Seattle. They have a set of rules that you won't find at Wrigley or Fenway and the guys are always dancing."

"What are some of these rules?"

"A two-hour time limit, batters can steal first base, and no bunting."

"Will they ever play an MLB park?"

"That's the goal for Jesse Cole. Right now, they're playing a lot of Minor League stadiums and spring training facilities, like Peoria Sports Complex and George M. Steinbrenner in Florida."

"Well, Dallas Bennett, thank you for taking some time from the field to talk with us."

"Thanks again for having me."