Super Teams: the Eagles, the Dodgers and how the Phillies can compete in '25

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Speaker 1: Hi, this is Chase that Lee.

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Speaker 2: This is the Philly Show.

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Speaker 1: Everybody rubin tomorrow Junior, Jim Salisbury Todds The Lucky.

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Speaker 2: The Philly Show is brought to you by the Foul Territory Network.

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Speaker 1: Monday, January twentieth, twenty twenty five, less than twenty four hours after a big Eagles win. Guys, you watch the game, I assume where'd you guys watch it? What'd you guys eat? What did you guys think?

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Speaker 2: That's what everybody's talking about today.

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Speaker 1: No, the Philly Show, but everybody's talking Eagles.

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Speaker 3: Good. Jim Oh, I watched it right here at home, me and my dog. My family was out of town, and it was an exciting game. I fact, I like watched the whole second half standing up in front of the TV. And that last drive, that big sack they had was great, but that last drive was scary because of those two missed extra points. And I know, kicking is just very difficult. I once heard kicking described like in a cold weather game, like a you know, single digit temperature with snow. Somebody said it was like kicking a frozen pumpkin. So I have had great you know, empathy, respect, whatever you want to call it for those kickers and what they have to go through in that weather. But the fact of the matter is those two and he did kick some big field goals, but those two missed extra points, you know, opened it up for the Rams to come down and win that ball game. So that was very very nervous, anxious moments coming down the stretch. I mean, missing those extra points is the baseball equivalent of run around third with no outs and not getting the run home, and it comes back to bite you later in the game. So but you know, the Eagles rose up and won that ball game, very very exciting. I can't imagine what it was like getting out of that parking lot no and all those people, and I'm glad it wasn't doing it. But you know, great game by sake on Barkley, the offensive line, the quarterback, just you know, heck of a game. Really looking forward to the championship game next week. I'll start Washington Commanders. Scary a lot of athleticism on that team, but I think it'll be a really fun game.

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Speaker 4: You mentioned Sequon Barkley.

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Speaker 5: That may go down as one of the greatest offseason acquisitions of any or free agent signings in the history of Philly sports.

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Speaker 4: I mean just based on what he did.

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Speaker 5: I know, Pete Rose was a big one, and we you know, we did you know, we did a couple of things over the years, but as far as just impact median impact, he may very well be the greatest signing of in the history of Philly sports. And he's just an amazing athlete and a great person.

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Speaker 4: I mean anything. Anytime you hear him talk about.

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Speaker 5: You know, his you know what he what is important to him, winning and that sort of thing, and it's pretty special.

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Speaker 4: I had my heart in my throat higher game.

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Speaker 3: I saw your tweet.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I'll tell you what.

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Speaker 5: I got tickets for my kids and I went to I actually went to the tailgate, got tickets for my kids.

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Speaker 4: And they went to the game.

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Speaker 5: Uh they they h bared the you know, the weather and all that stuff, but uh, they had a great time.

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Speaker 4: But I scooted to my brother's house.

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Speaker 5: I went to Taco's house and watched in the calumn but in Ben Salem, just chilling out there and uh and and actually not chilling up and enjoying the game. I got fired up on the big plays. Obviously with Saquan and and some others. But that sack you said, Jim that that's sort of helped seal things. That was huge because Strafford was Stafford was just unbelievable. I mean, he had an unbelievable game, great veteran presence under center for UH for l A. And you know, all I could think about was like the karma thing with what's going on in l A. And these guys are destined to win and all this other kind of stuff. But they made the big plays when they had to got it done. And you know, I feel bad for Jake Elliott just because you never noticed that kicker until he blows one and he blew two and and.

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Speaker 4: It makes it.

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Speaker 5: You said, the equivalent of not getting a runner in from third. I view it as like a ground ball to a second base, and you're not being able to throw a baseball a little Steve Saxon from which took me out of the infield. That was one of the reasons why I didn't play in the infield. But it's a it's a bad feeling for a kicker, there's no doubt. But he did kick a couple of pretty big field goals, so it's a. It's a it's a strange game, but it was a fun game and it will be a tough one against Daniels next week.

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Speaker 4: This kid is a great, great quarterback.

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Speaker 5: He's going to be a pain in the ass for a long time for the Eagles playing for the Commanders or Redskins or whatever team whatever they call themselves.

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Speaker 1: Later on, Yeah, you guys mentioned like what the what those miss pats were?

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Speaker 4: Like?

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Speaker 1: I remember Caleb Cotham last week and mentioned I've heard some actual affiliate Matt Strom has mentioned this as well. It's the kickers man, or we're the relief We're the kickers of the of Major League Baseball relief pitchers man. Nobody ever comes over.

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Speaker 2: And talks to us until we blow it.

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Speaker 1: And then also, and everybody's at my locker after the game, although Jim and I know that you and I both make a point to go talk to these guys during good and bad times.

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Speaker 2: So it's not we're not doctor death when we.

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Speaker 4: Go over there. But because you're professionals, boys, you're pros.

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Speaker 1: That's why when they're throwing well, and when they so, then when then when they blow a couple of games, they don't they don't want to punch a hole through our chest. But yeah, fantastic game. It's when the Eagles are playing well, just like when the Phillies are playing well. It's fun to see everybody in the city, everybody wearing their Eagles gear and and all that.

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Speaker 4: So you went down to that, But what what about the food? Yeah? I went down.

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Speaker 1: I went down to so then you just so the traffic players out and then you get me and drive off.

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Speaker 4: Party.

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Speaker 5: Party for about an hour and a half of my man Gian Marco martins Chelli and then uh off with the Ray Pinaccia and then uh there there I was eating some food on my man Luis's. Uh he had some great food there. It was spectacular. And then I went to my brother's house and ate some more food.

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Speaker 4: That's fantastic.

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Speaker 5: There is not wings eats wings. He had a nice little charcootery board.

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Speaker 2: It was oh man, I like that.

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Speaker 3: There's nothing like a playoff run in Philadelphia. And I really don't even care what the sport is. That's all exciting. Uh. The whole town just you know, invests in it emotionally and.

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Speaker 4: On many levels.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, people can't wait for next weekend with the Eagles and the same thing in Red October, and it'll be the same thing when the winter teams get their stuff together. It's very exciting to be part of.

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Speaker 2: It's yeah, it is. It is awesome.

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Speaker 1: And but we got to talk some baseball, right guys. We have to talk a little bit of baseball. And there there was some news over the weekend. I want to get I was I've been dying to ask you guys about this, so that the rich get richer. The Dodgers get Roki Sasaki, which is not really much of a surprise, and then they yesterday get they get Tanner Scott to a four year it was a four year, seventy two dollar deal. So for Phillies fans sitting at home over the weekend really from Friday through Sunday.

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Speaker 2: How should they feel about this?

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Speaker 1: How should they feel about the Dodgers Just continuing, Well.

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Speaker 3: You know, Dodgers are National League team in the Phillies, you know, are in when the World Series motor bust. And that's a big roadblock in front of it. Because they have created a capital s capital U Capitol pe capital er super team out there in LA and you know they've added Snell. This winter. They've added Sasaki and Snell on the mound. Last year they got Yamamoto on the mound, and oh, by the way, they're also adding Otani back on the mound this year coming up in twenty five. And you know they're gonna go with a six man rotation, which is interesting. But you have all that talent. They had so many pitching breakdowns last year that they're very deep in pitching and they're dangerous. They you know, signed resigned Tasker Hernandez, they resigned Tommy Edmund, they extended Will Smith, they have Freddie Freeman, they have Mookie Betts. They are great. So they are you know, you stand up and you take notice of them, especially when you're in the National League. But you know, the Phillies offseason doesn't really compare to the Mets. But I still like the pick up of Lozarta, and I still think the Phillies have a good nucleus and if they if they play good, they will be they will be dangerous and if they healthy, they will be dangerous.

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Speaker 1: So we'll see, we will be right back.

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Speaker 5: Hey, I gotta tell you, man, I love having super teams in Major League Baseball.

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Speaker 4: I love it.

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Speaker 5: I mean you know, they become like public enemy number one and everybody sort of focuses on them. Was a little bit like the Yankees for many many years when they were just you know, buying their championships and or at least people were saying about there, buy it. Even though they had great they had a great core there for a long time that was built from their own organization, which I think is also pretty important. So listen, I got no problem with it. I like, you know, the juice that it creates. You know, obviously you love to spread the wealth. But I had no problem with these guys getting after it. And I remember being on MLB Network and talking with Andrew Freeman, and I think that either the Padres or the Giants, I can't remember which executive was that we had on he basically told Andrew Freeman before he got he came on, he goes, would you guys just stop spending money?

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Speaker 4: And andrews.

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Speaker 5: And then when we asked Andrew after, he goes, no, we're not gonna stop spending.

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Speaker 4: We're gonna do what we can to make our team the best team we possibly can. And they have, and you got to give him credit for that.

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Speaker 5: That they continue to try to improve as they you know, even after winning the World Series, is something that I thought was important when we won the World Series in eight, to try to improve an nine and move forward because it's so hard to win, to win, I mean, the Dodgers are only one what one one real? I mean World Series and what a zillion years. I don't even know how many years it is. I mean twenty twenty, I think that.

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Speaker 4: Was a farce.

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Speaker 5: But the one in uh, you know that this past one, it's been the first one real one in a long long time. So he knows how difficult it is to win. And listen, I know people want to spread the wealth, but hey, it's going to be a great challenge. They got to play the games on the field, and they have to stay on the field. And now I know that they have a lot of injury issues and have and especially in their pitching staff. I will say this, the one thing that has impressed me is that the what kind of staff they put together.

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Speaker 4: You talked about the six.

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Speaker 5: Man rotation, and I've been talking about our Phillies rotation. With the way it's set up right now, with the Zarto adding to the to the I still think that the Phillies have, if not number one one A maybe not quite as deep as as La, but LA's put themselves in a position at one of the best, if not the best, starting rotations down the game.

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Speaker 2: I was gonna say.

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Speaker 1: The thing about the Phillies rotation, though, is you'd probably if you had to put money on who is going to which rotation is going to hold up the best, you would probably maybe put some You'd probably give the edge towards the Phillies with with Wheeler and Noe at the top of No, Rangers had a lot of injuries over the years.

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Speaker 2: But but Sanchez has you.

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Speaker 1: Know, been pretty durable last couple of years of lazarda coming off an injury. That said, but you know Snells gets banged up. Glass knows he always hurt. Yeah, Yamamoto was hurt last year. Otani coming off Tommy John surgery. I think you tell you assume he's going to be healthy and pitch well. But yeah, one one A. However you want to slice it, you know, I don't think it's doom and gloom for Phillies fans. You know, once you get in the postseason, anything, any anything can happen, So it's not.

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Speaker 2: People kind of want to like, well, Dodgers, that's it.

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Speaker 1: It's over Phillies are gonna if they if they're lucky, you'll get the NLCS, and then they're definitely going to lose to the Dodgers.

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Speaker 2: Not not necessarily.

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Speaker 5: The case, winning winning the off season is not winning the championship. You go, you got to do it all. You can win the off season. It can mean nothing. Honestly, I mean means something, but it doesn't necessarily. You got to play the games. It's one hundred and sixty two games. That's the beauty of our sport is that anything can happen. There's a lot of stuff that can happen over the course of one hundred and sixty two games, and then beyond.

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Speaker 3: Two things of relevance. The Phillies have had this, you know, was out excellent pick up, but in terms of you know, free agent outlay, free agent spending compared to previous years, it's been modest. That said, in terms of Competitive Balance Tax payroll, there's still number two in baseball, ye though, like seventy million behind the Dodgers, but the Phillies are still number two in that CBT payroll. And then the six man rotation thing with the Dodgers, you know, it fascinates me a little bit because you know you're gonna have Andrew Painter arriving July ish, as Dave Dombrowski says, I don't know. I think I would toy with the idea of going six man. I'd at least explore it, have some meetings about it, because that Wheeler is going to turn thirty five in May. Aaron Nola's north of thirty since twenty twenty one. They're like number one and number three in the major leagues and innings, and the team's going to be defined in October. They're going to get to October and that's what's going to define them. And I want them, and I want Ranger dealing, and I want I want a fresh, healthy It's not you know, kind have a fresh rotation going and talk to him, but I want to I want to sound healthy, effective, full strength rotation going into October. If they stay healthy in that five man, you know, right down through Lozardo and Sanchez, do you guys toy with the idea of and when Painter arrives, if he's ready and he's good and if all things go well, do you toy with the idea of a six man so that you're nice and and so you're quote unquote that cliche the best version of yourself in October.

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Speaker 2: I like the idea.

00:15:42
Speaker 1: It immediately popped into my head when I keep reading about the Dodgers six man. Dodgers six man, we'll paint you had painter, there's a six man to me.

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Speaker 2: I guess if they get that far enough.

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Speaker 1: Down that road, and I mean Dave Dombrowski, Rob Thompson, Caleb Coffam, the pitching staff and whatnot, I guess the first conversation you have is with Zach Wheeler, right, I mean, Zach has made it known that, yes, I don't like the extra rest. There's a I can't remember when it was during the season, but oh, you know what it was that the Phillies were in Anaheim. I think early in the season he had some extra rest and he's I think he struggled in Anaheim. And afterwards he was pretty surly talking about how I don't like I like to stay on my turn. But I think maybe you frame it that way like you did Jimmy. You know, he's turning thirty five. We're trying to win a World Series. If what if, what if we could? We don't know for sure, but zach Man, what if you could be just a little bit sharper, have a little bit more life in that arm in October. We can't guarantee that'll be the case, but what if we could make that happen. And we think we can make that happen by having a six man rotation man when you want to give that a shot, maybe maybe he comes around on it, but that's that's the guy you have to sell it on.

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Speaker 3: It sounds funny because he's been great October and we're not trying to change anything with him in October. Want him to be the same guy, lightning bolts coming out of his fingertips. I just want to ensure that the lead up and that everything's in place going into October so they can continue to shine. It might be, you know, like because of his desire to not pitch on six days and keep it to every fifth day, maybe it wouldn't work. But I think it's an interesting talking point here on the old toddpod.

00:17:21
Speaker 4: So I think there's a couple of things here to unpack.

00:17:25
Speaker 5: I like the idea, especially during that time I talked to Jeff Cooper all the time. He used to talk to Jeff Cooper the man, meanest man, pound for pound and all of baseball. He was the old planner for the Phillies, and Coop always talked about, you know, having that dead arm period, right, that dead arm period sometime between for the starters, between sometime late June all the way through August, where guys sort of just don't have it. Whether they could just shelf them for a little bit and putting them into a six or man rotation. Perhaps you can do two things. And I know it's complicated, but it can be done where maybe you skip other guys Wheeler doesn't want to be skipped. Maybe a skip Nola for a start, skip less Arto for a start, you know, and then slide that sixth man in there and sort of rotate.

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Speaker 4: And I mean you can.

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Speaker 5: You can be really creative and do something like that and help them through that dead arm period and also, like you said, keep them from having less life when it comes to September and October. I think it's a great idea. I wouldn't put it past them at all. One of the reasons why it took us a while to get Nola to the major leagues, because we were getting him acclimated to pitching every fifth day instead of every seventh day like he was doing basically in college, and preserving that and making that adjustment. Perhaps that's what they need to do with Painter because he is He's that valuable and maybe even more valuable than than Aaron Nola was to us at that time. And so I don't have any problem at all with them toying with that idea. And I got to believe that it's something in the back of their mind. Who wouldn't want to have that that healthy arm pitching for you every fifth or sixth day come July, August, September, and hopefully in October.

00:19:11
Speaker 3: And in October. It's not going to solve the swing and miss and the offense and the you know, the periods of famine that we see in the offense when the when the runs you know, are tough to come by. I mean last year the bullpen struggled. It's not going to address those two issues. But I still think starting pitching is so important. It could really fortify that going into October. So you know, we'll see if I could double back and Ruben you kind of alluded to this, and so I guess I know your answer. But is all this deferred money with the Dodgers?

00:19:48
Speaker 4: Uh?

00:19:48
Speaker 3: Is it? Is it something that?

00:19:51
Speaker 4: Is it fair?

00:19:52
Speaker 3: Is it? Yeah? It is? It? Is it? Is it a good thing? And is it something MLB might look in the next CBA after after twenty six because you know, look, you look at all these extensions, they have significant deferrals in them.

00:20:09
Speaker 5: Yeah. I think it's something that Rob Mafford is going to have to look at and listen, Rob Mafford has to basically approve every single deal, every deal that comes down the pike that has to be sort of approved by the Major League Baseball Commissioner. And so so far these things have gone through and there's no real rules set up such that, you know, you can't do this. I think it's something that that some of the financial people are likely going to start really bearing down on. I don't think that the MLBPA is going to be very happy about it, because they want it wide open. They want you know, they want the players to be able to get whatever they can possibly get at their at their leisure. But it is something that it's going to be addressed, I think. And there's you know, you talk about the salary cap. Is that going to be part of this next CBA. I mean, I mean, I think this CBA is really good to find Rob Manfred's in a lot of ways to find you know, his his place in baseball history, because this next one is going to be a tough one. The money's gotten crazy, and the deferrals are part of it. Until that happens, Man, do what you got to do as a player, as a as a ownership. If you have put yourself in a position to be able to do that, then go ahead and do what you gotta do.

00:21:26
Speaker 3: And the Dodgers have built something great talent. I mean the ballpark they're renovating, and again, their facilities are going to be awesome, are always are awesome from spring training right through the regular season. They're winning culture. They are very smart in terms of conditioning, nutrition, analytics. Maybe you know, they are sort of the gold standard of you know, or one of them in major league teams. A lot of Major League teams want to be just like the Dodgers. And now they're just expanding into a whole nother market in Japan.

00:21:59
Speaker 5: And I gotta give I got to give Andrew Freeman some love because there's a lot of question about whether Andrew Freeman could go go from Tampa Bay, which is a small market team, how he would adjust, how he would think, how he would work in a large market like Los Angeles, and he's taken it to another level over there.

00:22:18
Speaker 4: You got to give him. You got to give him a lot of credit.

00:22:21
Speaker 5: Stan Kasten and all the people that are involved there, Googenheim and all the people that have all the money. But I just think that Andrew Freeman deserves a lot of love because they're doing it at both ends. They have good players coming through their system, and they're and and they're also you know, buying good quality players and putting themselves in a position to have a lot of success.

00:22:41
Speaker 3: And players want to be there. Players want to be part of that culture, that winning culture, top to bottom.

00:22:47
Speaker 2: It's a great place to play.

00:22:48
Speaker 1: I mean, Dodgers Stadium is one of my favorite places to go to, no doubt. So, Jim, you mentioned the Dodgers going into the Asian you know, really hammering that Asian market. The Phillies on Friday Night make a move that might not have great short term implications, but it might have greater long term implications. I think they hope both happened they signed a right hander from Japan, Cooyo a O Yagi.

00:23:14
Speaker 4: I think pretty good.

00:23:17
Speaker 2: Yagiu he is.

00:23:19
Speaker 1: He is a nine year pro from Japan. He's a side armed arrighty. They signed him to a minor league contract with an invitation of big league camp. He's a non roster invitee coming to big league camp. He's the first, really, you know, he's the first Japanese, you know, major leaguer that they've signed in franchise history. And if he if he makes the team this year at some point, it's not guarantee he'll make the team coming out of camp, but if he makes a team at some point, he'll only be the third player Japanese player in Phillies history, along with Tadahito Guchi and Sotaguchi. They were on that those seven eight teams. And this is something that the Phillies have been trying to get into. They years ago they tried to convince Sho hey Otani to meet. They made a big presentation crickets and then they finally heard that he wasn't interested. They had a meeting with Yoshinobu Yamamoto last year, last offseason, but they came out of that going this guy does not want to play for us, you know, but they made a strong offer anyway, and then Roki Sasaki, they made a presentation, they made a pitch, and he basically said, you know, I'm not interested in meeting with you guys. So those big top stars have not been interested in Philadelphia or the Phillies. But maybe this is if Aoyagi comes in, maybe at some point down the road they start signing a few more of these Japanese players.

00:24:43
Speaker 2: That's the hope anyway.

00:24:44
Speaker 1: So what they hope short term is is that this guy comes in. He's a side armor, where they thought that was really attractive. You don't see a lot of side armors in the big leagues. Maybe that different look could provide some benefit in the bullpen. He could be he's started, he's relieved. He maybe he could be a swingman this year. What was your guys reaction to this signing?

00:25:05
Speaker 2: Ah oh e Yagi.

00:25:10
Speaker 3: You know, it's a minor league deal. You take a look see if maybe he can contribute. Obviously he got some experience, but I think they're probably looking at it further down the road in terms of building relationships over there, maybe spreading their their brands a little bit over there and trying to become a player eventually if in the Japanese market. So I look at them trying to build a little bit of a foothold, and if they can get some contribution from him maybe in the bullpen here in twenty twenty five, then it's a good thing.

00:25:40
Speaker 4: Hey. So here's a couple of things unpack.

00:25:43
Speaker 5: I know Sal Agustinelli who has was a long time scouting international Scouting director, he's now a supervisor now it's Derek Chung and he has you know, he and you know guys like Jorge Bolandia. They've been working hard to try to get into that international mark, get and to and to get a placehold, a placeholder there in some way shape or form and have a presence. And I think this is one one way to start that ball rolling we tried, you know, we did years ago. I went over there and saw Tony Uh pitch and Uh and play, saw some other guys there during the course of that visit with went with Sal and and also Charlie Manual is an icon there. Couldn't really make the inroads that were necessary, and I think this is a one way to try to do that hopefully for the organization. The other part of that is I like the fact that you have a little bit of variety. It's a side armor as he talked about Todd, and I think different looks in the bullpen are important. You got to get people out. But that said, if there's a specialty that he can do, if he's really really tough on right handers, it looks from the site, you know, having watched some of the film on him, I don't know all the numbers that are ASSOCIATIOND associated with it, but it gives them just a different looking pen that they have not had really consistently. He's not quite like camp Ta Kolby all the way down there or Quizenberry, but he does give him a little bit of a different look from the side, and uh, you know, who knows, maybe maybe he can give them a little bit more depth in that in that bullpen, which is something that they need.

00:27:19
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think.

00:27:20
Speaker 1: I think the Phillies analytics team like the fact that that armslot was way down low and might provide, like you said, rubin a different look. You know, But you guys mentioned the long term aspect. The Japanese manager of the World Baseball Classic team was in camp last spring Hedeki Kurayama, and I had I had like one question ask him. He was he was kind of on the move, and I said, you know, how are the Phillies viewed over there? And he said, obviously, the Yankees and Dodgers are the best known teams in Japan, but the Phillies are also a well known team at this time. And I was gonna ask a follow up in his his introputes like he's got to go. But point being that that's the challenge the Phillies face right now is the Dodgers and the Yankees. Everybody in Japan knows that Dodgers and the Yankees, and people kind of know the Phillies a little bit, but they don't know them enough to go like that's the place I want to go.

00:28:08
Speaker 2: I want to go to Philadelphia.

00:28:09
Speaker 1: If you're a Japanese player, you want to go to la you want to go to San Diego, you want to go to Seattle, or you want to go to New York.

00:28:15
Speaker 3: So you know, how you get you get more well known in Japan. It's it's a three letter word.

00:28:22
Speaker 9: When not when baby, just win, you win, and that that's how you grow your brand and get recognizable all over the globe.

00:28:33
Speaker 3: You rattle off, you know a lot of winds in October, that stadium shaken, have a parade. That's what Ultimately, that's ultimately the reason why these guys want to be Dodgers because they you know, because these deferrals are tell me this, these deferrals are not with interest, right, So the player is I want to win, Okay, you can defer some of my money, and that's what attracts players. And I just wanted to point out with that this is not the first time the Phillies have signed a Japanese picture minor league contract.

00:29:09
Speaker 2: Well, that's you're what, You're right, You're right, Okay, I.

00:29:12
Speaker 3: Was Actually I think Ruben, you were still playing or you may have just gone Actually you might have just gone into the front office. So you were probably part of the signing. But do you remember in the late nineties or maybe two thousand, you guys signed a right hander. He was a minor league pitcher in Japan. His name was Tomo Uchiyama.

00:29:33
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, I do remember that.

00:29:35
Speaker 3: Actually he was I just remember that he's still at Jack Russell Stadium and he showed up and he was so excited to be there. He used to wear his jacket back to the hotel Philly. And then so Francona was the manager, and there's Tomo Uchiyama, and there was you know, there was a few Japanese writers in camp following him around. I think they came over from Tampa because that's where a lot of the Japanese writers hung out with the Yankees. So Tomo Uchiyama is going to pitch against the Twins down in Fort Myers and uh, these Japanese, a couple of Japanese writers go down to the game and Uchiyama gets kind of knocked around a little bit. And after the game, we're in the cumpbouse, you know, that little cinder block office in that stadium, and uh in Fort Myers. Todd, Yeah, we're in that little cinder block office talking to Frankcona, and one of the Japanese writers goes, what did you think of Tom's lousy performance? And goes, wow, I thought these guys were tough, pointing to us. The kid ended up pitching at reading that year.

00:30:49
Speaker 5: So that was actually my last year in Major League Baseball before I went into the front office. Uh, look back on some of the numbers and it was a ninety.

00:31:01
Speaker 4: I get picture.

00:31:01
Speaker 5: I think you're right pitching in reading, but I think he only pitched for that year and it was Jim.

00:31:06
Speaker 2: It's so funny.

00:31:07
Speaker 1: I remember, I think I remember talking to you last fall when the Phillies were pursuing Yamamoto and you said you mentioned that guy.

00:31:14
Speaker 2: So I misspoke for sure that if he.

00:31:16
Speaker 1: Makes it, well, if he makes the team, that he would be the third Japanese player.

00:31:20
Speaker 3: But this guy never pitched in the big league, right, right, And I think that signing was the exact, you know, kind of similar in some regards. They were trying to get a foothold over there, right and just trying to break the ice. And I'm sure this guy, because he pitched in the big leagues, is he has a chance to break more ice than I do.

00:31:39
Speaker 5: Want to say one thing about the about you know, setting that the Phillies do have star power. I mean you start to start thinking about some of the superstars on their team. They got Bryce Harper, you got Trey Turner, and you got probably the best starting pitcher in baseball, and Zach Wheeler.

00:31:52
Speaker 4: And the world knows it.

00:31:54
Speaker 5: I mean, you got great, great, players kylesh Warber also obviously prodigious run numbers.

00:32:00
Speaker 4: You know that that makes makes them very popular. There's some star power, and I think that the that the.

00:32:06
Speaker 5: Japanese folks, I guarantee you that they know who the Phillies are because they come close and they've been in the playoffs and they probably should have won a couple of World Series in the last couple of years, have not done that. But you're right, Jim, they do have to continue to win to create that, to create that footprint there.

00:32:23
Speaker 3: I agree with you on the star power. I mean, there was that young right fielder from Japan. I think he went to the Red Sox, right Todd, and he was his favorite player was Bryce Harper.

00:32:32
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

00:32:33
Speaker 3: Well Bryce Harper wanted to meet Bryce Harper. So no question they resonate over there. But the big attraction for players is still a win.

00:32:43
Speaker 4: Baby.

00:32:43
Speaker 3: They want to be part of a winner. Tell you, yeah.

00:32:45
Speaker 1: The Phillies played the Dodgers, meet the Dodgers in the postseason this year and just run rough shot over the mighty powerhouse Dodgers. You people know the Phillies a little bit a little bit better as well, that's right.

00:32:57
Speaker 3: If the Phillies going to Dodgers Stadium and take down the Dodgers in the NLCS, I fully expect Otani to demand a trade the.

00:33:05
Speaker 5: Philadelphia I lost my headphones on that one.

00:33:10
Speaker 4: I love it.

00:33:12
Speaker 3: That is great.

00:33:13
Speaker 2: So let's wrap it up with this.

00:33:16
Speaker 1: The great Bob Yucker passed away on Thursday at the age of ninety. For me, of course, a kid that grew up in Milwaukee, that was a huge loss. I spent all day Thursday and Friday just watching highlights of.

00:33:29
Speaker 2: His some of his calls with the Brewers. Growing up.

00:33:33
Speaker 1: I can still recite some of his most famous calls when I was a kid. Back when I was a kid, I would like take I would like record the postgame show after some big games, and I would just play those.

00:33:42
Speaker 2: Calls over and over and over again.

00:33:44
Speaker 1: When Dale Swam hit a walk off home run to beat the Rangers on Easter Sunday in nineteen eighty seven to give them a twelve game winning streak to start the season, when Paul Malder got the thirty ninth hit of his thirty nine game hitting streak, I was at that game and that went, you know tape that call, and I would just listen to it over and over and over again because it just gave me goosebumps. Got to meet him a couple of times, got to interview him once.

00:34:10
Speaker 2: It was a great excuse.

00:34:12
Speaker 1: I wrote a book on the Phillies in two thousand and eight, and it was kind of like, you know, a little greatest worst moments in Philly's history, random stories. I said, oh my gosh, I am going to try to get an interview with Bob Yucher. And it was literally the only reason was so I could talk with Bob Yuker, and he told some fantastic Philly stories.

00:34:31
Speaker 2: His recall was great.

00:34:32
Speaker 1: In fact, Rubin, he was talking about the teams he played on, and I found the transcript the other day and I wrote about it in my Phillies Beat newsletter. But one of the quotes I didn't use that he mentioned was he's like going through all the players that he played with, and he mentioned your dad as one of the guys, Like we had everywhere, we cook it Ross on that game. We had Ruben Tomorrow on that team, you know, So that was that was pretty cool. So rip Bob Yucher one of the all time greatest. I mean, if you go back and listen to some of the calls. Go back and watch some of the Miller like commercials. I mean, you know, I must be in the front row. Just legendary commercial. Go back and watch. Go find some Norm McDonald clips of him with David Letterman and whatnot.

00:35:15
Speaker 3: You will.

00:35:17
Speaker 2: Die from laughter. So great. So one of my all time favor is huge loss for me in for baseball. He was a legend.

00:35:25
Speaker 3: The Miller Like commercial of the All Star Softball Game is the greatest commercial ever. You have to find that. It was like a minute long. It was a long commercial. But you know they're gonna pinch hit with Uker and they decided no, no, no. It's such a great the people in that commercial. It just makes you belly laugh. The light being All Star Softball Game. Dick Williams and Billy Martin.

00:35:51
Speaker 2: And John Madden is in it, right, not in.

00:35:54
Speaker 3: Frank Robertson from the Hockey World Boom boom, Jeffreon, Nicky Splaine, Rodney Dangerfield is the closer lit up.

00:36:05
Speaker 2: That's right. Rodney did get lit up in that game.

00:36:08
Speaker 4: That was great.

00:36:09
Speaker 3: You should tell the story Todd about the book you were reading in grade school.

00:36:15
Speaker 2: Yes, so in seventh grade.

00:36:19
Speaker 1: It was such a huge Bob I mean, Bob Bucker was He was Harry Callous of Milwaukee. Just to kind of put that into perspective, So Bob wrote a book, uh when I was in grade school, and it was called The Catcher in the Rye w r Y. And so I'm in class in seventh grade. I'm reading this book and my teacher, missus Joyce, comes up and goes, oh, Dodd, are you reading Ketcher in the Rye? Thinking it's the JD. Salinger classic? You know what seventh grader is reading Catcher in the Rye.

00:36:50
Speaker 4: R Ye my JD.

00:36:51
Speaker 2: Salinger?

00:36:52
Speaker 1: And I go, yes, I am, and she then she kind of looks.

00:36:55
Speaker 2: She goes, who's that on the what's that on the cover?

00:36:58
Speaker 1: And it's Bob Buker wearing this gaudy plaid you know, early eighties jacket in a bar.

00:37:06
Speaker 2: With a baseball bat, and I go, I go, it's Bob Yucker.

00:37:09
Speaker 1: And then she read the cover more closely and saw I was Catcher in the Rye wry and she.

00:37:14
Speaker 4: Just looked away.

00:37:17
Speaker 2: She was so bummed and disappointed. She thought she had really connected with this student. Hit on the student who was reading J. D.

00:37:22
Speaker 1: Salader as seventh grader, but I was reading something much better, and I was reading Bob Yucker as a seventh grader.

00:37:28
Speaker 5: I mean, it's to think about Bob Yucker. And you talked about this comparison to Harry Callus. Yes, and regionally that's what Harry meant to hear in Philadelphia.

00:37:36
Speaker 4: But in a lot of ways he made it. It became a national international star.

00:37:42
Speaker 5: You know, all those times on Johnny Carson, what was over one hundred times one of his favorite guests, you know, mister Belvidere. I mean, the man like parlaid his ineptitude as a player into being one of the more entertaining casters of all time, and just a fun guy to be around.

00:38:03
Speaker 4: I mean, just a really really cool person to be around.

00:38:06
Speaker 5: And and uh it's he was a tremendous ambassador to the game. So sad to see him go, but so grateful to be able to have had him because he made our game more fun for everybody.

00:38:21
Speaker 4: In a lot of ways.

00:38:22
Speaker 5: I mean that call when he was in Major League just the outside, I mean, come on, I mean, it's it's just so many of them.

00:38:30
Speaker 4: There's so many.

00:38:31
Speaker 5: Sayings that that that sometimes I'll use them the broadcast, just that it comes into my mind. I mean, you know, every once in a while, you know, you think about some of the things that he said, and they just popping into your head when the game goes on. But uh, just not just a national or you know, not just a regional uh star and reporter and broadcaster, but a but but internationally he was famous.

00:38:55
Speaker 3: Yeah, he was.

00:38:56
Speaker 1: He was the best man. He will be he will definitely. Yeah, the Philly Show, guys, we'll be back later this week. We'll have more Phillies talk. So try to squeeze us in between all the Eagles talk. You gotta you gotta break it up a little bit, right.

00:39:07
Speaker 4: Fellas, Yeah, no doubt.

00:39:09
Speaker 5: We got some guests coming, man, I guarantee you we've got some good ones coming too.

00:39:12
Speaker 9: We got Jalen Hurts right Friday, we got Yeah, we're not limiting ourselves to just Jayleen.

00:39:20
Speaker 7: We're gonna we had Charles.

00:39:21
Speaker 4: Now, we're gonna have these you.

00:39:22
Speaker 2: Knowles, Eagles pr hooked us up.

00:39:25
Speaker 1: They're gonna bring them on before the biggest, one of the biggest games of their lives.

00:39:29
Speaker 2: Well, I'll way, I'll smell you guys later.

00:39:32
Speaker 3: Smell of MoES.

00:39:33
Speaker 4: Smell It Jim.

00:39:35
Speaker 1: The Philly Show is brought to you by the Foul Territory Network. Subscribe to The Philly Show on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like us, give us a review, Follow us on Instagram, TikTok x, Facebook, and threads. Find Rubens analysis before, during, and after Phillies games on NBC Sports Philadelphia, on the Sports Radio ninety four, WYP Morning Show, and MLB Network. Find Jam at all phl y doy do. Come find me at MLB dot com, the Phillies Beat newsletter, and Mlbnetwork