Whit's Revenge

00:00:00
Speaker 1: This is Chase Utley and this is the Philly Show. Hi, everybody, Welcome to the Philly Show. Rubenmar Junior, Jim Salisbury, Todd z O Lucky. Wednesday, August twenty first, twenty twenty four. How are you guys doing today? You guys doing good?

00:00:31
Speaker 2: I'm great, you know.

00:00:33
Speaker 1: I want to ask you guys a question.

00:00:35
Speaker 2: Hot Atlanta, it's actually hot. It's not too hot, usually not bad.

00:00:39
Speaker 1: Actually it's the coolest I can remember being in a long time in Atlanta in August.

00:00:44
Speaker 3: Fallish and it's fallish in Chester County.

00:00:48
Speaker 1: That's beautiful. It's it's that time earlier. So last night, last night, I get back to my hotel, and you guys can appreciate this. I wanted to have a post game beer, and uh so I go down to the I didn't want to sit at the bar though, so I was like, I'm going to bring a beer back up to my room. So I get a beer bottle down there. I assume it's a twist off, go all the way back to my room, cannot get the top off the beer bottle. So I'm like, too lazy to go back downstairs. I want to see if I can do one of those cool things where you put on the counter and you open it.

00:01:20
Speaker 2: Of course.

00:01:22
Speaker 1: I messed that up, so now some of the bottle breaks on the top. So are you an amateur? I'm an amateur. I'm an amateur. So here's what I did. I was like, I can't waste this beer, but I also don't want to choke on any glass. So I poured some beer very gently into another glass and gingerly would you have done the same thing? Because part of me was going, if I get any in my throat, am I gonna explain this? Am I that desperate? But I did it. And then but after a couple of SIPs, I was like, what am I doing to myself here? I can't go to the hospital.

00:01:59
Speaker 3: You gottah.

00:02:01
Speaker 4: You gotta get a like a pipe bomb instead, where you can you know, a tall boy where you.

00:02:05
Speaker 3: Can pop the But I I've been where you are.

00:02:07
Speaker 4: You get upstairs with a nice beer after working all day and you can't open it. So what you're gonna do is on the back of the door of the hotel room door they have that little plastic sleeve where they put like the fire instructions. Yeah, and you can pry it off on that if you if you.

00:02:24
Speaker 2: Love that, you know that the door locked, Jan just popping in there.

00:02:29
Speaker 3: Yeah you can.

00:02:30
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's the matter with you guys, you know, with your wedding ring with Ryan, get pissed off at your or what I could do the wedding as well.

00:02:38
Speaker 4: Wedding ring pop you could do like like back when I was a kid, there was a player named super Joe Charbono. Remember Joe, Yeah, I think it was the year and he actually was a legendary story that he could open a beer bottle with his eye sockets.

00:02:57
Speaker 3: There's a couple of guys you can do that. At that point, you.

00:03:00
Speaker 5: Had to deal with your teeth and stuff, you know, Pop, it's that.

00:03:06
Speaker 1: But I was like, but I seriously, I'm in my room and I'm going, what am I doing here? Do I Do I need a sip of beer? That bad? I was like part of me was like, yes, the price, Like let's let's let's pitch the rest. I don't need it. I've avoided the worst.

00:03:18
Speaker 2: You know, you're.

00:03:18
Speaker 5: Taking matters into your own hands when you're pouring into a glass in one of those places you never know in the last time that was actually cleaned that is also true.

00:03:27
Speaker 3: Has got one of those skits he talks about.

00:03:30
Speaker 6: Man, I don't know what he's you clean it a glass with somebody's underwear or something.

00:03:38
Speaker 1: A lot of a lot of pitch balls last night. Uh at my hotel, for sure.

00:03:44
Speaker 3: You up by the ballpark? Are you downtown?

00:03:46
Speaker 1: I'm in Buckhead. I'm in Buckhead. You're not right across the street from your nice Yes, sir, my place. You know it's it's nice, it's nice. Uh so, yeah, but last night there's some pitfalls during the game. Rinaldo Lopez, just first game back from the il, strikes out ten guys, you know, the top three guys in the lineup, go oh for twelve with seven strikeouts, final seventeen. Phillies are retired in order wit Maorfield. You knew he was going to do something last night out.

00:04:20
Speaker 3: You knew that.

00:04:21
Speaker 1: No, you knew it was he that good Reuben Lopez. Last night his.

00:04:27
Speaker 5: Stuff was really really outstanding. I mean, we didn't take a great, not a great approach against him, had opportunities to. We had him on the ropes. Phillies had him on the ropes a couple of times. There was a couple of three zero counts. Brandon Brad Marsh got into a couple of did I say Brad Brandon Marsh got into a couple of you know, Marshie the guy, the hockey guy. I talked to him all the time, so I screw up the name all the time. But anyway, Brandon had an opportunity, a couple opportunities with some three oh counts to do some damage and like was taking all the way up. I'm not sure if we had like the best approach against him, but that slider he's got as one of the best sliders I've seen. I mean, it's like a it's if it's not twelve six, it's like eleven to five. It's a downer. It's hard, it's firm. He he's got a super quick arm, works super fast. He does all the things that you want to do as a starting pitcher. And it was a great find by the Braves man signing him. Basically was signed. They signed him as a as a bullpen guy, and then he gave an opportunity to be a starter. He had started years ago, maybe four or five years ago, and then became a full time bullpen guy and did very very well for Chicago White Sox, and then when they signed him and they gave Hi an opportunity, he ran with it. And he's been outstanding now that the workload is an issue, and I think that's one of the reasons why he had the stress elbow just.

00:05:54
Speaker 2: Coming back from that il.

00:05:56
Speaker 5: But he had only thrown maxed out at seventy one pitches in z i el stint. But his stuff was nasty and he took care of those first three guys in the lineup. Turner made some contact at leads, but the other guys, I mean, Harper and Schoberg got eaten up pretty pretty pretty badly by that slider.

00:06:17
Speaker 4: And when the Phillies had met on base, he made big pitches, sometimes at the bottom.

00:06:21
Speaker 3: Of the order.

00:06:21
Speaker 5: But the other thing, the other thing I wanted to say about that was that you know, his numbers coming into the game point zero nine to six batting average against with runners in scoring.

00:06:36
Speaker 2: Position this season.

00:06:38
Speaker 5: That is a ridiculous number that I mean, it got better because he I mean, you talk about making pitches when you have to, man, he was really good. And then the fact that they just couldn't Mustard and they couldn't get a base runner for three and a half or four and a half innings.

00:06:57
Speaker 3: Wheeler pitched really good. He left that one fastball right down the belt, yep, and it was Zona crushed it.

00:07:05
Speaker 4: Zona's having a great year. He's not far off of Taani in that MVP discussion. You know, I think his home run trot is silly, but the guy can mash.

00:07:19
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:07:20
Speaker 4: I'm just kind of struck with this team. They have trouble with good teams. They don't play consistently well against the top teams. Against good teams, I don't even consider Atlanta the top team with all their injuries. But they're a good team, and they struggled against good pitching. Last night, Atlanta had an elite level pitching. So yeah, I agree, that could be a fear or concern, uh come October.

00:07:43
Speaker 5: It could be they have that they've struggled against a tough pitching. You know, in October they've actually had done well against pretty good pitching when when it bell rings, but at times. I mean, they got beat up at the end with the Arizona uh uh in the NLCS. But I you know, there's some adjustments need to be made. I am a little concerned. I think it seems like these guys are a little beat up. I found out a little bit of information about, you know, the pinchhole pinch inting thing on Sunday, why a couple of guys didn't get in there. I just think that there's more to it than just you know, these guys, you know, didn't that Toper just wanted to rest them. I think that they're bang They were banged up enough, I think to maybe make sure that.

00:08:37
Speaker 2: They they got their rest that day.

00:08:39
Speaker 5: So I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I just got the feeling just being in the clubhouse that there was a little bit more to it. There was a really late lineup delivery yesterday. We didn't get the line up until well after Topp or even talked right Todd right after we talked, you know, it just sounds like some guys are a little bit uh beat up right now, bumps and bruises, And I think that that was part of the story about Sunday that we had talked about. Right at those at and Harper weren't used and then they got a couple of days off and they just looked a little sluggish, just overall looked a little sluggish, And you would think that they'd be a little bit more lively playing in this.

00:09:21
Speaker 2: Series because it's an important one, especially for the Phillies.

00:09:24
Speaker 1: Let's continue that thought in a second. We will be right back.

00:09:27
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00:09:42
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00:10:24
Speaker 4: Well, Ruben, you was saying, you know, there was a little more to it, and you believe it's more to it. I think this is often more to it often, and that's why I'm really curious to see what range of Suarez looks like. It just seems like it's taken a long time for this, for this back thing, and it's been an uncertainty. Just wonder if there's quote unquote, as you said, more to it, so we'll see.

00:10:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, and sometimes you don't like to listen. I've been in these positions.

00:10:50
Speaker 6: Everybody goes through bumps and bruises during the course of one hundred and sixty two games ser season, and you don't necessarily want to like divulge all the information because that might give another team a competitive advantage, like when a guy goes on the IL or the guys like having to sit and not play for three or four days.

00:11:08
Speaker 5: Okay, you got to give people, deliver the people the news why is this happening? But there are certain things that you know, you keep closer to the best because you don't want to give, you know, other teams competitive advantages. And so if somebody's banged up, whatever it may be, sometimes it's it's okay to be a little quiet about it. And and I understand that. But that said, you're right, I mean, and I know Topper talked about it a lot yesterday. His job is to make sure that these guys are healthy because if they're healthy, they got a chance.

00:11:43
Speaker 2: If they're not healthy, it makes life a lot more difficult.

00:11:47
Speaker 4: In September October, he was also quoted as saying, just what we were saying, there's more to it than just him.

00:11:53
Speaker 3: He consults with the trainers, sports science people. It's a group effort. He's gathering information from everybody, and.

00:12:02
Speaker 4: If a day of rest is prescribed, there's a lot of people that are in on that decision, and you know, they're all invested in it and they're going to and the manager is going to follow through on.

00:12:14
Speaker 2: It, and the players themselves, and the players themselves as well.

00:12:17
Speaker 1: Todd Yeah, no, that you know. Rob is not a guy who's very online. But he did make a point to kind of I can't even remember the question that got the ball rolling, but he made a point to say, listen, guys, I hate losing. I want to win, but sometimes you have to do them do things that you know you can't exactly divulge everything. But I do hate to lose. I do want to win, but sometimes you have to look at the at the bigger picture. So yeah, Rubin, and maybe those guys are banked up. And if they are banged up, and he told them you are not playing. He did not want to. And we and you guys talked about it the other day, just the routine and the process of getting ready to pinch hit late in the game. And I I I wrote about this, you know, in an alternate universe. Right, say it's the ninth inning and Rob goes, I want to win this game. I want to sweep the Nationals. He sends Bryce Harper to the plate, pulls an oblique on a swing, or he blows out his hand. He run on the first baseline. And one of the questions after the game is had he done his normal pregame routine now? But I just wanted to win that ball game. Now Rex is on the injured list, imagine what the uproar would be there. So you know, it's damned if you do if you're in your damned damned if you don't. So we got you guys want to answer some questions from our two let's do it. Got a lot got some questions here. Yesterday, Hector Ners was released by the Chicago Cubs. This is from Owen Swozo. I'm probably miss butchering that last name. Do you think Hector Harris would be a good waiver claim or his underlying stats too much of a red flag? I took a quick glance at his stats. Strike get said down a little bit. You know, Hector, he walks a ton of guys, lives on the edge a lot. He's under his uh stack cast metrics are way or are in the blues? Oh, they're all in the blues, which is not good. You don't want to be in the blues. You want to be in the reds. Hector Naris. Would you take a shot on Hector nearis?

00:14:20
Speaker 2: I wouldn't.

00:14:22
Speaker 3: He's already hasn't he already cleared waivers?

00:14:24
Speaker 1: So he he might have Yeah, he might have cleared.

00:14:26
Speaker 3: He can clear, he did clear, so he can go wherever. You know I would, I would, actually, you know, I think they talk about everybody.

00:14:34
Speaker 4: I would talk about it, but you know, I I don't know, but I see all the fives and six is down there in the bullpen e R since the uh since the break UH.

00:14:45
Speaker 3: So I would definitely talk about it, but it wouldn't be as a closer. I mean, they have a closer stevens Uh. I don't know if I would do it, and I'm not sure he would do it either. He would come here. I think he might have something different, but who knows.

00:15:02
Speaker 2: I love the guy, I love the person. I'm just just for a couple of different reasons.

00:15:08
Speaker 5: And I kicked it around a little bit with uh with some folks there in the clubhouse yesterday, because you know, it's an interesting thought, just because you know, maybe another veteran guy. He understands the Phillies. He's been there, he's done it, he knows the system. I just think that there's a couple of things against him. One the fact that he lives on the edges. I mean, one of the biggest problems that the Phillies have right now is it consistent strikes out of the bullpen, right, and the and the deep counts. You saw with Alvarado yesterday, You've seen it with a lot of guys Oryan Kirkering. I mean, it's the deep deep counts. Man, everybody's going two two three two almost every time. There's not quick outs. There's not you know, you saw that out of the out of the Braves bullpen. They were just pounding the zone and that's the way you get it done. And that's scared me a little bit about Hector. And the other thing I think is they need they probably need some flexibility some guys that they could sort of move up and down. I mean, if they pick him up and then send him, there's not a lot of flexibility with them. They basically if they give him a chance and they have to sort of release him or whatever. I don't know if it creates a whole lot of flexibility, it's a good thought. I just don't know if he's necessarily the answer. The answer is in the clubhouse right now. Those guys have to start throwing consistent strikes and if it doesn't happen, then that's going to be really trouble. So then you got to get somebody to step forward. Hey, every team's had like somebody. I remember years ago it was like Bob walk and Marty Bistrom came up. The young guys who came up, you know in nineteen eighty and pitched their asses off. You need somebody to step up. Ryan Kirkerman did a pretty good job at the end of the year last year. For somebody who's got to step up and do their job. And hopefully there's somebody out there who's light, you know, clicks on and they and they start pitching better.

00:17:03
Speaker 1: Emily Horde on Twitter when hate when Austin Hayes comes back from the injury list, how do you perceive Weston Wilson's role on the team, given the fact that he can play almost anywhere and can hit lefties very well. Austin began a rehab assignment last night Tuesday night with Triple A. It's going to play a few games, could be back this weekend in Kansas City. Weston's played great, He's he has crushed lefties. You brought in You traded for Austin Hayes, though, Yeah, and when you got him, you see, this guy's are every day left field or we want to see if he can play every day in left field? That's what do you do with that.

00:17:41
Speaker 3: I think they're gonna look at Hayes because they made a trade for him. Sure, it was kind of their signature every day, you know, position player trade and they'll give him a look. But if Western Wilson, although.

00:17:53
Speaker 4: His playing time is can cut back a little bit after that big week, it's nice to know that he can be there. I don't know how they're gonna balance it, but I think you play the hot hand, and I think Hayes is going to get a shot when he comes back, especially if he swings it well up at Lehigh Valley.

00:18:10
Speaker 5: I think the answer is it really rests on Brandon Marsh in a lot of ways. If they don't feel like Brandon Marsh is able to hit right handers, and he's been striking out at like a huge rate, and I really like it. I like his game, his his strikeout rates are really high.

00:18:27
Speaker 2: And who knows? Does does he now sit against right handers from time to time? Do they put Hayes and Wilson in the same outfield. I doubt it.

00:18:39
Speaker 5: I don't think that's the right formula necessarily, But is it possible. I mean, Hayes and Western Wilson can both play center field. I don't know that they'll sacrifice the you know, the defense for for maybe a little bit more bad but I doubt they'll do that, but I think a lot of it predicates on you know, they're trust in Brandon marsh because he really he's kind of been in fits and starts.

00:19:05
Speaker 2: You know, Brandon's Brandon's.

00:19:08
Speaker 5: Got a lot of ability, he just hasn't been super consistent and is there are a lot of punch outs to him in this game right now.

00:19:14
Speaker 3: Don't you think we'll see West and Wilson tonight against the lefty and give him.

00:19:19
Speaker 4: It'll give him a shot to you know, try to lay some claim to that job because you have to go with the productive bat.

00:19:28
Speaker 1: They need some mofents right now. They got to win a game against these guys. And one thing we didn't mention at the top is that, you know, the the Braves are now within six games still comfortably. I still think the Phillies are going to win the division. But bigger picture, Dodgers now have the best record in the National League and the Phillies and Brewers are tied for the second best record in the National League. Now, the Phillies right now have that they got to win one more game to win the season. They had to head tiebreaker over the Brewers, but they finish a game back and the Brewers and the Dodgers. Now they're playing the Braves and an NL Wildcard series at the season end of the day. So got to get some of this, got to score some runs and win a game to night. You know, A couple of questions built similar topic, if you if you guys have anything to add We kind of touched on it Bill Brown and another Twitter account. Would you guys sit Harper? Now he's not himself, Maybe he's hurt. What is really going on with Bryce? Several questions about Bryce and just just me possibly banged up? Anything else to add on that? If not, we can.

00:20:33
Speaker 3: If he says he's good to play, I think you gotta play him.

00:20:36
Speaker 4: But right he's gonna he's gotta be truthful with the manager and the medical staff, and they know him inside out. Their hints that he's banged up, and that's the reason why he sat on Sunday. You just got to monitor almost a day to day situation, right, So if you're gonna, you know, I expect to see him play against Max Freed, but.

00:21:01
Speaker 3: I mean, who knows.

00:21:03
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's possible he gets he sits against the left hander and then plays tomorrow. If he's If he's a little banged up. Maybe he gets another maybe he gets another day to poor repose. But I don't Again, I think you agree with you. Jimmy, if he if he, if he tells the manager he's good to go, then he's good to go.

00:21:19
Speaker 2: He's playing right.

00:21:20
Speaker 1: Yeah, fight for Red October. This is this is an off season question. But odds of John Middleton and company landing Juan Soto this offseason.

00:21:32
Speaker 3: I think that zero.

00:21:36
Speaker 1: I would say zero as.

00:21:37
Speaker 5: Well I would I guess I know that they could probably compete with the New York Yankees financially.

00:21:46
Speaker 2: It would solve the left field problem.

00:21:51
Speaker 5: I mean, it's another left handed bat, I know, but it's a super special left handed bat. So you're not really worried about that all that much. I mean you end up having, I mean, you know, a ridiculous lineup. There's no I mean, he can dream on it, sure, the problem dreaming on it. I just don't know that they that they will have the payroll flexibility to do that.

00:22:14
Speaker 2: That's you're talking about. You talk about over five hundred million dollars I think for the guy.

00:22:19
Speaker 3: Yeah, oh that's that's a negotiation that that's going to take place. At the toll booth on the RFK Bridge formerly the Triborough Bridge, because it's going to be Mets and Yankees.

00:22:29
Speaker 1: Yeah, and there will be no deferments deferrals in that that contract, and unlike the Otani deal, that's gonna be a real legit.

00:22:38
Speaker 2: Five or more.

00:22:40
Speaker 1: Yeah, this is from Instagram DF Mets. What's with Jose Alvarado? Do you guys have any thoughts on what's going on with Jose? He walked four last night in less than an inning. First Phillies pitcher to do that since Dustin McGown, I think in twenty fifteen, only eleventh film he's reliever to walk four in less than an inning. As far back as Baseball Reference can go, it doesn't happen too often.

00:23:08
Speaker 4: Watching him from the center field camera, he's it's just his finish. He's all over the place. Yeah, he seems Yeah, his mechanics and he's not really nicely aligned with home plate. He's really kind of falling off and almost like Sir Anthony when he used to go bad his direction. I don't know if he's trying to throw too hard, trying to make the ball do too much because he knows he's been struggling, but he just seems when he's going good, it seems to be just a natural flow to his release, and it's just it's just not there. I don't know if he's thinking too much because he's been struggling.

00:23:42
Speaker 3: But it's troubling. I mean, the whole bullpen is troubling.

00:23:47
Speaker 4: You know, they got very high arras out there since the break, they're not throwing enough strikes there. If you look at the stats, they're like in you know, the bottom five and in walks and just their control numbers are off and they're not pounding, and it's it's it's a it's a big concern to me.

00:24:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, so that's it's a chicken of the egg. I'm not sure which ones which.

00:24:07
Speaker 5: So sometimes when you're not mentally where you need to be, your mind does things. Your body does things that your mind is making it. Do you know it's not a natural flow, like you said, natural flow. He's not allowing his mechanics. It might be his mind or is it his mechanics failing him and then putting him in a position to have less confidence. I think I'm not sure which one it is, but I know as a player, when I struggled mentally. I knew I took some tape or back then it was tape, but and watched the video that I was doing things that I would could not believe I was doing. Like I was watching myself, going is that me actually hitting? Because that's not what I do when I hit, when I hit well. And so I think that's sort of what's probably happening, that his mind is not allowing him to get in a position to be consistent, and you know, you just hope that he shakes his way out of it, has a couple of positive outings and can go from there.

00:25:14
Speaker 4: How do you handle him because you know, you walk four batters that can really you know, wound your confidence, name your confidence.

00:25:24
Speaker 1: How do you seriously, like, how.

00:25:26
Speaker 3: Do you pick the next spot for him to get in a ballgame after what you saw last night?

00:25:30
Speaker 5: So the next spot that you get him in the ballgame is when he's able, because he threw a lot of pitches. But to me, the next time you pitch the guy is in a non stress situation.

00:25:40
Speaker 2: He pitches.

00:25:42
Speaker 5: You know, in the fifth inning of it of a game or sixth inning of a game where it's a blowout either way, and you just get him on the mound and get him to you know, get him to perform.

00:25:53
Speaker 2: And hopefully he performs well.

00:25:54
Speaker 5: Now, if he doesn't perform well again, then that makes it even more difficult and things start to spiral.

00:26:01
Speaker 2: I hope it doesn't happen.

00:26:02
Speaker 3: For this guy.

00:26:03
Speaker 5: I love Jose Alvarado. I love the man, and I love the way he goes about it. He's a great teammate, he's a great person. You pull for these guys because one he can be dominant when he's on, and two he's just a good guy. And you know, you hope he works his things out, whether it's mechanical or mental. You hope he gets on track.

00:26:27
Speaker 1: Joe Massina Instagram. We get a lot of Scott Kingery questions, So I'm gonna throw one out here. Why is Scott Kingery buried? Cal Stevenson was not in the forty men and they made room for him. I mean to me, the answer is that they just don't feel like he's the right guys. He's basically played only shortstop this season, shortstop, a little bit of second base. I think he got He's only played like one game or two games in the outfield. They don't need an infielder right now. They think Weston Wilson's a better option as an infielder. So Scott Kingary's having a nice season in Triple A, stays in Triple A.

00:26:59
Speaker 4: You know, the outfield point is probably legit. He hasn't played on That's kind of where their needs have been. I'm not saying go out there and play left field for you, but you know they've seen a lot of Scott Henry and they just probably feel like he's not the answer, and they have other guys ahead of them in their mind. You know, Wilson Hayes is going to come back. They brought Stevenson, but I do you know acknowledge he's He's had a nice year down there.

00:27:30
Speaker 5: The bigger question for me is Cody Clements, Like why is Cody Clements not in the big leagues and Cal Stevenson is. I think Cody Clemens is a more accomplished hitter, and I think he's got more to offer than does Cale Stevens. And I know Cal Stevens is swinging the bat very well. With Cody Clemens, I.

00:27:50
Speaker 2: Think he's close.

00:27:51
Speaker 5: I think he's healthy, he's been healthy, he's been playing. I think that maybe it could be a defensive thing, but they got both Marshall and and Roll has to play center field, so you know, I don't I'm not really I don't really understand that the profile there. I do think that Cody Clements is a little bit more accomplished hitter. But hey man, I'm glad I don't have to make those decisions. There's always reasons why, and uh, I'm not a fly on the wall anymore, so I don't have to worry about those decisions.

00:28:21
Speaker 2: It's just curious.

00:28:24
Speaker 1: We're gonna get in some uh well, we'll start wrapping this up with some off topic, offbeat questions. This is from Anthony on Twitter as Anthony Espenson. Which Phillies player would be great at a different sport minus Johann Rojas at ultimate frisbee. His downfield speed and lateral quickness would be unstoppable on cuts. Ten minutes with me and I'll get him competent and throwing a frisbee.

00:28:47
Speaker 2: Wow, Wow to the frisbee. I don't know enough about frisbee to make that call.

00:28:54
Speaker 1: But good I don't know either. I'm gonna take his word and say he can make Johann Rojas are an ultimate frisbee player. I mean, I think, what's what's the cop on answer?

00:29:04
Speaker 5: Right?

00:29:04
Speaker 1: J T Real mutto at any sport football, WWE you know, tremendous athlete.

00:29:10
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a good I think.

00:29:12
Speaker 3: I think Bryce Harper, like especially in his twenties, could have been like a Ronnie Lot.

00:29:18
Speaker 1: Yeah, just pulverize somebody.

00:29:21
Speaker 3: Yeah, like just you know what position do you call it? I don't even know? Safety?

00:29:25
Speaker 1: Safety right?

00:29:26
Speaker 3: Safety?

00:29:27
Speaker 2: Maybe?

00:29:28
Speaker 3: Yeah, and just you know, accelerate up and crush people. I could see, uh, I could see Bryce Harper being that.

00:29:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, he would definitely throw his body at somebody.

00:29:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, he would be. He attacked when he charged the mound on that guy in San Francisco.

00:29:43
Speaker 1: Hunter Strickland.

00:29:45
Speaker 3: That's right. Then the bodies were coming out with That is an intense video. I think Brandon Marsh.

00:29:52
Speaker 2: Would be a pretty good cover guy. I'd see him as a D back.

00:29:55
Speaker 1: I could see that.

00:29:55
Speaker 2: I see Brandon Marsh is a little d back or maybe even like a maybe like a slot receiver.

00:30:01
Speaker 3: I could see Trey Turner being like a Tommy Fleetwood on the golf course.

00:30:06
Speaker 1: That's true. There there are some good golfers on that there's some good golfers on the team.

00:30:09
Speaker 2: There, yeah, there are.

00:30:10
Speaker 3: There's a couple of guys that could, uh who.

00:30:12
Speaker 2: Can wheel it a little bit the best?

00:30:16
Speaker 3: Oh really? Yeah?

00:30:17
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I think he might be one of the better ones.

00:30:21
Speaker 1: Rubin. Our friend SIXO has a question for it. I honestly have no idea what this means. I have no idea what this means. Why does Ruben hate having lunch with his friends? I have no idea what that means. What does that mean?

00:30:32
Speaker 3: Ruben?

00:30:34
Speaker 2: Do you have any idea that?

00:30:36
Speaker 1: But no, I don't.

00:30:37
Speaker 2: I don't know where it comes to you.

00:30:38
Speaker 1: Did you did somebody on the lunch?

00:30:41
Speaker 5: He comes from left field a lot. That's Jim's buddy, that's Slsbury's bobo.

00:30:47
Speaker 3: I've been Uh, I don't know. I I basically owe six to lunch for about five years. Like maybe that's it. Maybe that's answer like a trivia Twitter question once and and but then the pandemic came and I became a hermit.

00:31:02
Speaker 2: And did you throw me under the bus?

00:31:05
Speaker 1: That was four years ago, Jim, But he said he wanted to.

00:31:07
Speaker 3: Have lunch with you. If you remember, he's if you remember he used to always be on your ass, and I talked him off your ass, Ruben, So you know, you know, was he the only guy on my ass? Yeah? He wasn't the only one, Ruben.

00:31:21
Speaker 1: That was the one that was the one guy that was on you for.

00:31:25
Speaker 2: Lunch.

00:31:25
Speaker 3: Happened very very soon, six stough.

00:31:29
Speaker 1: So here's another one. This is from Pat Kritz. Pat Kritz designed the Philly Show logo regarding the smellulator sign off what exactly are we smelling? Later like, if the Philly Show were a Yankee candle or a colone, what would the fragrance be? And he said hashtag merchandising ideas a Philly Show Yankee candle.

00:31:53
Speaker 3: Hey, Todd, do you remember Ruben?

00:31:55
Speaker 4: So when game Kapler was the manager, he used to have scented candles in the manager office. I still remember walking into the clubhouse and the managers in Tampa Bay, Todd, do you remember this?

00:32:07
Speaker 3: And he had offee scented candle after the game, and honestly got it smelt like the best Starbucks on Earth. And I had my wife buy one because it was so intoxicating. It was. It was so nice. I couldn't even focus on the interview. His office smelt so good.

00:32:23
Speaker 2: He wanted to be in the right spirit man. He always wanted to.

00:32:26
Speaker 1: Be in the right There was definitely a vibe when he walked into Gabe's office.

00:32:29
Speaker 3: Uh you know.

00:32:30
Speaker 1: He he painted the walls in his office instance of Bank Park and in Clearwater. It was you know, usually it's like an office, you know, white, big awful fluorescent lights. He he painted the room like a nice relaxing gray, right, Jim was like a gray. And then he put in his own lights and missed. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was.

00:32:51
Speaker 2: It was.

00:32:51
Speaker 1: It was definitely a vibe. Always some some music playing lowly in the background. So, uh, that's a good question. So what we would do caught, we would do coffee.

00:33:01
Speaker 2: I like coffee.

00:33:02
Speaker 3: I could smell the show.

00:33:03
Speaker 2: That'd be a good one for me.

00:33:05
Speaker 1: You know, grass and grass and dirt, you know, for baseball. I don't know.

00:33:09
Speaker 2: How about pine tar, that's a good visual.

00:33:16
Speaker 1: I smelled a lot of them.

00:33:17
Speaker 2: I was that boy and added all over my hands all the time.

00:33:20
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, they don't they use that tough skin though they don't. I don't know.

00:33:25
Speaker 4: The motor stick doesn't smell like when the bat boy would pour the pine tar on the rag.

00:33:31
Speaker 3: I mean that was baseball.

00:33:33
Speaker 1: Yeah, well that's when men were men.

00:33:35
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right.

00:33:38
Speaker 2: Going again, James.

00:33:40
Speaker 1: This is an interesting one. Ginger Avenger for a couple of questions related any funny stories of about the baseball's unwritten rules being broken? And are there any unwritten rules for beat writers?

00:33:52
Speaker 3: Oh? Yeah, never wear shorts on a plane. No shorts on a plane. That's my rule. That is the.

00:34:01
Speaker 5: No shorts at that when you're when you have your notebook. Man, come on, when I'm working.

00:34:06
Speaker 2: I used to get remember, I used to get all you guys about how you're addressed.

00:34:13
Speaker 5: I think it was maybe maybe it was David Murphy, Like David Murphy would come in like with like a T shirt and like raggedy jeans or whatever.

00:34:22
Speaker 2: I was like, dude, can you dress like a professional please?

00:34:26
Speaker 1: I'm I agree, I no, I agree, I I I always wear pants at the ballpark. Some some people will wear shorts. I'm not a fan of the look. Myself. I wear a collared shirt. I'm not a fan of the T shirt look. Jim, you've occasionally warned a T shirt to the old ballyard.

00:34:45
Speaker 2: That's because you don't want to get You wanted to give Hamburger training Hamburger.

00:34:50
Speaker 4: But I would always have my TV shirt hanging, you know, with my college shirt if I need to need to switch. Do you remember here's another pet, even mine.

00:35:00
Speaker 3: On the road.

00:35:01
Speaker 4: You show up for a three game series, you sit in the same seat all three days. I used to hate it with somebody plopping your seat on day three. You would throw my feng shua off.

00:35:09
Speaker 3: I couldn't work totally great.

00:35:12
Speaker 1: If you pick your seat first game of a series, you sit there. You do not move seats. You do not move seats. I've seen Jim get very very mad, Rubin. He gets like like totally thrown off his game. If if somebody, if he shows up at the ballpark and someone sitting in his seat, especially in Clearwater Spring Training and city Field, he'd lose his mind.

00:35:33
Speaker 2: He wait, so I have a quick question about that. Let me pose my own question. So there's a hierarchy where you sit, right? Is it the veteran, the guy who's been on the the longest.

00:35:42
Speaker 7: Is it?

00:35:43
Speaker 2: Is there a hierarchy where you guys not really as to where you are at home?

00:35:48
Speaker 5: Typically, like I know, nobody's on one side, and then it's inquirer and then it's you.

00:35:52
Speaker 2: Todd, and yeah, Jim and then Todd, do you guys line up in that or how does it work for you?

00:35:58
Speaker 3: Guys at home were long standing and and and they were marked off though too. Yeah, they're kind of on the on the road on the road, on the road. Usually sometimes it's marked off, but usually just says visiting media and you know four or five here you walking.

00:36:15
Speaker 4: Hey, your seat is your seat that first day. I used to love that seat next to the petition in city field.

00:36:22
Speaker 3: Todd. I know they would notice get on me because Ruben I like to spread out. Todd will always give me a lot, like when I sit next to you.

00:36:30
Speaker 2: You got crap everywhere you got, you got ship everywhere.

00:36:35
Speaker 1: Jim would walk in, Jim, Jim will walk into the press box. He's the only guy will still go to the d wah wah or wherever in New York and come it'll show up. And then they have the New York Post, and then the Daily News and then the New York Times, and they're all spread out everywhere, plastic bag full of goodies.

00:36:52
Speaker 3: Goodie's gonna have goodies, you gonna have a coffee, you gonna have goodies.

00:36:55
Speaker 1: So that would be the unwritten rules, right, stay in your seat, pick your seat, stay in your eat. Jim doesn't like shorts. No shorts.

00:37:03
Speaker 3: I remember Gelby showed up early in his career with shorts on. I was like, dude, that's a no no.

00:37:11
Speaker 4: Yeah, you got you gotta wear them out because you don't want to be sitting on a plane and touching somebody's leg.

00:37:16
Speaker 3: You know, a scab on there, a mosquito.

00:37:19
Speaker 2: Stop stop it.

00:37:20
Speaker 1: There's a great you know, Jim, it's funny. There's a great uh scene in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Larry David has the same bit in an episode of Criby Your Enthusiasm. He jumped for me.

00:37:32
Speaker 2: He you probably did.

00:37:35
Speaker 1: He jumps some guy in the show about wearing shorts on a plane says, I don't want to look at your legs for four hours. This is it's disgusting. Harry, it's gross. Put on some pants. I couldn't agree more.

00:37:48
Speaker 3: And here's the other thing. If you get a window seat, you do not get up to go to the bathroom. You hold it. You do not disturb the people next to you. If I'm on the aisle, I don't want to, you know, just you can wait until you get to Cincinnati to use the restaurant.

00:38:04
Speaker 5: The other thing is that have you guys end up being on a plane lately where there's not all three seats taken?

00:38:09
Speaker 3: I mean, I remember, I remember the days where you'd get on an early morning plane and you could move around because it would be open seats. Yeah and ale at nice and spacious and you could spread out. Now everything's a starting, can it is.

00:38:28
Speaker 1: That's a great place to end. No shorts on a plane, everybody. If you disagree, send us a tweet at Jimmy Hills. We'll set you straight. So we'll be back later this week. That was fun, guys. I'll I'll smell you later. Coffee scented, Yes, smell you, Lator boys, Smelly boys. This is The Philly Show.

00:38:53
Speaker 8: If you haven't already, please subscribe to The Philly Show wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch us on our YouTube channel. If you like what we do, give us a review, Tell a friend. Catch Rubenjim and Me on Phillies Nation TV, presented by Vallyforge Tourism. New episodes air an hour before every Saturday Phillies game on NBC Sports Philadelphia replays air throughout the week and on Philliesnation dot com. Get more of Reuben's analysis during before and after Phillies games on NBC Sports Philadelphia, on the Sports Radio ninety four WIP Morning Show, and MLB Network Reajim at the Allcity Network at allphl y dot com. Find more of me at MLB dot com, the philliesb Newsletter, and occasionally on MLB Network