Jason Kelce talks Eagles, Phillies. Plus, a surprise cameo!

00:00:01
Speaker 1: How's it going. This is Jason Kelcey and welcome to the Philly Show.

00:00:07
Speaker 2: Hello, everybody, Welcome to the Philly Show. I'm Jim Salisbury, joined by Ruben Amaro Junior and our good friend Todd Zelecki is on assignment today, so he is not with us for this very special event. We are thrilled to have Jason Kelcey on with us. Eagles legend number sixty two in your program, number one in your heart. He loved throughout the city, super Bowl champion seven times in the Pro Bowl, someday a Hall of Famer, and he and his brother Travis coming at you regularly on that New Heights podcast, which is a great one.

00:00:45
Speaker 3: Jason, we aspire to be New Heights someday.

00:00:50
Speaker 4: Well, you guys are a lot better than us, so it's an honor to be here. Happy to be on the show. Thanks for having me, guys.

00:00:55
Speaker 2: We're still we're still on cloud eleven from that Super Bowl.

00:00:59
Speaker 1: How about who isn't my gosh?

00:01:02
Speaker 4: I mean, I really cannot recall my lifetime a more dominant super Bowl and for it to be the Philadelphia Eagles, the way that season went and how they just became so dominant towards the end of it. It was a team that really embraced what the city's about, and obviously I think the entire city of Philadelphia is behind all these guys. Still, so really happy for all of those guys, very much so.

00:01:26
Speaker 5: Jason, thanks so much for being on with us.

00:01:29
Speaker 1: I yeah, I when.

00:01:31
Speaker 6: I look at these teams and the greatness of what the Eagles were, do you compare them?

00:01:38
Speaker 5: Have you thought about comparing them to the one of the greatest of all time?

00:01:41
Speaker 6: Because when I look at the piece by piece, I know, obviously you won a Super Bowl as well.

00:01:46
Speaker 5: And had a great team. Then do you feel like they're one of the best of all time.

00:01:51
Speaker 4: In terms of like the entire NFL or entire Eagles.

00:01:55
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I don't.

00:01:57
Speaker 4: You'd be hard pressed to find a lot of teams with any teams really with that much more talent than these guys. They were loaded top to bottom for bear from the get go, and it really came together full force. They were a great combination of having a lot of a lot of talent, great coaches, and it all peaking and health wise being fully healthy. At the end of the year. You look at their offense I mean there's not a weakness. The two guys they have out wide in aj Brown and Devonte Smith. They have great tight ends, and Dallas Goddard the offensive line, my goodness, I mean pure size, strength, athleticism, they can do it all. You have a quarterback that's multi dimensional. And then they go out and get the best running back in the NFL, who has been hindered up there in New York for so many years, and for him to have the season he had record breaking the most amount of yards over the course of a full regular and postseason, I just it's it's really just so much talent, and it's really a credit to Howie Roseman, the entire UH coaching staff and scouting department and getting these guys here.

00:03:10
Speaker 1: A lot of them are homegrown, homegrown talent.

00:03:13
Speaker 4: And then go over to the defensive side of the ball and all these young guys pan out the defensive backs Cooper de jan Uh and Uh and Quinnon Mitchell. Then all of a sudden, you know, Reed is homegrown, the entire defensive line, and Carter and and Sweating. I mean, it's it's just was so masterfully done. They go out and get a guy Zack bond. They bring in Vic Fangio, who brings some just some tenacity and some some some ruggedness to that defensive like personality, and it really ended up representing what I think Philadelphia is about, which is toughness and physicality in that blue collar just we're not going to take crap from nobody vibe, which is one of the things that you know, Brian Dawkins brought for a long time, and it was really fun to watch at the end of the year. Really was they just dominated teams, They really did, and you know, up front, in the back end, across the ball, they were so good. I'd be hard pressed to call them the most talented team ever in the NFL. But I'll tell you this, I don't know that you're gonna be able to point out one that's more talented. So I put them right up there with anybody pretty awesome.

00:04:29
Speaker 7: Did you did you actually have I mean, how difficult wanted for you? Obviously you had your brother playing against the Eagles. Was what was it feeling like for you? Were you were you that torn or we're worrying as far as your your overall feelings and emotional well, you're.

00:04:44
Speaker 1: You're You're on a side.

00:04:46
Speaker 4: You're you're in a position where there are people on both sides that you care a lot about, so you are torn. You want the best for the people that you love, and in this case, I had people I love on both teams, and I think the only way I was tr going to come out of that game happy with the outcome was, you know, the the Eagles play really well, the Chiefs play really well, and the Eagles, my brother plays well, and the Eagles edge out of victory. That would have been the best case scenario for me. You know, the reality is, you know, I think whenever someone you love is going through a hard time, you feel for that person. And me having lost one, I was definitely feeling for travel in the moment, but still immenseally happy for all of the guys and the Eagles, for the entire city of Philadelphia. Jalen Hurts for what he had been through, Nick gi Yanni for what he had been through. I mean, you know, I was there last year when it all fell apart, and for them to rebuild and rebound that quickly, it was just remarkable top to bottom how they stuck through it. Early season with some you know, there was questions of you know, is the defense good enough coming out of the Tampa Bay game. Is there's questions of the quarterback, there's questions constantly of the head coach and his decision making, and for it all to really culminate into being quite clearly the best team in the NFL, top to bottom. Very very happy for all those guys, for sure.

00:06:05
Speaker 6: Cool.

00:06:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, I.

00:06:08
Speaker 2: Nick, Nick Sirianni. The Knick Sirianni story to me is incredible. Yeah, when you go back, you know what, maybe fifty four weeks ago, there's kind of a referendum in the public about his job, and even four weeks into the season, people are wondering if he's the guy. And then all of a sudden, boom, this team takes off and it's just seemed like they really responded to him. He seems like a connector of people. Character guy.

00:06:36
Speaker 3: Tell us what he's like, you know it, give us a little insight.

00:06:40
Speaker 4: I think that he has a lot of the traits you would want in the head coach. He's very very good at connecting with people. Like you just said, Jim, I mean his ability to connect with anybody in the locker room, all the coaches, in the front office and be a guy that bridges communication is such a crucial role in the NFL. There's so many different departments and position groups and all of these guys have players from all over the country. To have a guy that can do that well with guys that are fresh out of college in their early twenties, to you know, people that have been there for years in their fifties and are been you know, stuck in their ways potentially, you know, this is the way a great head coach can do. This is bridging all of that together. He's a great motivator. He's one of the best in my opinion, in team meetings and making that useful and getting guys to gain something out of them. Most of the time, meetings are like the team meeting is we're going to go over the schedule.

00:07:37
Speaker 3: For the day.

00:07:38
Speaker 4: We're going to talk about one or two things that really aren't going to make that big of an impact, and then we're going to go to our actual offensive meetings. We're going to install what we're doing for the week. And I'm really excited to do that. This is a guy when that team meetings happening, there's a reason that he's going to be talking to you for the day, whether it's going over the turnovers how to create them, which every coach does, but he does it in a way where he's got the footage ready. He's passionate about what he's talking about, whether it's giving a point for you to learn about the rules of the game that are changing or being called a certain way, whether it's trying to teach you about situational football. He's going to point out positives that people did during the game or practice, he's going to point out negatives, and none of it's done in a way to call guys out. It's all just done in the overarching goal of improving each and every day. He practices what he preaches. He's consistent, but still keeps it fresh. I think he does a lot of things at a high level from a head coaching perspective, and on top of that, he's driven to be the best in the world. This guy is competitive as all can be. He's constantly trying to become better as a coach, looking himself in the mirror. With those fourth down calls where he's criticized early on some of them, probably more so than he should have been. Some of them, you know, are legitimate questions, and I think that he has that ability to be like you know, listen, I know I want to be a great because I've seen how that can create a positive advantage for our team, but at the same time still learning from each and every one of those experiences along the way. And I think he's I mean, the record proves for itself, you know how he is as a head coach, but just having been in there with him, very very happy that he was able to go out there and get it done this year.

00:09:24
Speaker 8: Speaking of the motivational piece Jason, I know he've got an opportunity to talk to him plays after the you know, winning the winning the Super Bowl Yary eighteen, the spring in twenty eighteen, to talk to the team, tell us about that experience.

00:09:38
Speaker 1: That what was like for you, Well, that was, first of all, it was awesome.

00:09:40
Speaker 4: I mean, my wife and I love going to Clearwater and like that west coast of Florida, so we're happy to be down there in general. And yeah, we got the opportunity to talk to the team. You know, Gabe Kapler was was the skipper at the time, and you know that was you know, it's fun to meet him, and I know he was very out there and forward thinking a lot of the things that he was trying to bring to the game. But got to go in the locker room, and you know, I don't I didn't want to make it too much because there's an outsider. You never know what these guys want to hear. Got to meet a handful of them in the locker room. That was my first really experience of I feel like the football locker room is so diverse. Then you go to a baseball locker room, like some of these guys don't even spit, like it's like broken English in there, and I'm like, Okay, this is a whole other world of trying to bridge people together. So a lot of respect for all the skippers and players out there of trying to facilitate that environment.

00:10:35
Speaker 1: It was.

00:10:36
Speaker 4: It was fun. All the guys are fired up. I mean they're in spring training, they're geared up for the season.

00:10:42
Speaker 1: So yeah, it was. It was an awesome experience.

00:10:44
Speaker 2: You're kind of a semi regular at Citizens Bank Park. You go to games, I mean you're a close personal friend of.

00:10:51
Speaker 3: The fanatic around with him. You're chugging beers or shotgun and beers.

00:10:58
Speaker 2: During the playoffs, you're on Fanavision, given like a big rally.

00:11:05
Speaker 3: Cry to the crowd. They say that for the big moments.

00:11:09
Speaker 1: Sure, sure, and there's you know.

00:11:11
Speaker 2: There's some bleeps in there, which you know, hey, you know, get to go to get the folks, you know, revved up a little bit. That wasn't I think they debuted that in the playoffs in twenty twenty two. And what was it like to film that with the guys from the Phillies. Uh, you know, the video crew, the social media crew, the scoreboard crew.

00:11:30
Speaker 3: They do a great job over there.

00:11:32
Speaker 4: So I got in contact with John Brazier, uh, with the with the Phillies and then the Fanatic and you know, they've they've all been more than welcoming to all the sports teams and being involved with the Phillies. And I think that they've done a great job as good as any of the sports teams in the city of embracing Philadelphia. And whether it's the sports stars or different people in the city, they really try and make it something that it feels like it's authentically Philadelphia. And I've always loved going to the games. I grew up a big time Indians fan. I can't call them that anymore. They're the Guardians now you can. So when I grew up, I grew up in the nineties and they were so good and I was such a big fan. We lost our football team in ninety six and we just had built a new stadium in Jacob's Field. So I became a rabid baseball fan. I loved that era of baseball, and I grew up going to a lot of those games. There's nothing and I listen, I'm a diehard football fan. To me, there's nothing better than going to a ballpark and watching a baseball game. Like nothing tops it, especially if it's a big time game. But even if it's not, if it's if the weather's right, going out getting a beer and eating a hot dog in a baseball game, I don't know what's top of that. To me, it's a great way to spend and then the pace of the game is so awesome when you're there, it's so perfect for a spectator sport in person. Your experiences with the JA it was I mean that play sold out for like three or four years straight because they lost the Browns and the teams are so good. I mean, you know, Sandy Alomar, Roberto Alamar Manny ramire Is, Kenny lofton Omarvis Scale. Jim told me, I mean Albert Bell, you know, Carlos Bierga, my brother's favorite player. We you know, Naggie and all the pitchers, Bartolo Cologne. There was such an outstanding team that and it was offensive team like this is a this is a They were scoring runs like this wasn't you know you're watching low scoring games. This is not high pack baseball. So it was it was fun to it was a blast to watch. It galvanized the city, and it's been similar. I mean, we never won one in Cleveland when I was there, we got close. I think it might have happened the year of the strike. I think those ninety six where they almost would have pulled it out maybe, but.

00:14:03
Speaker 3: There we.

00:14:05
Speaker 1: Strike.

00:14:06
Speaker 5: We didn't play the World Series.

00:14:07
Speaker 1: That's right. So I think it was.

00:14:11
Speaker 4: You know, they were very very good in that that era of baseball.

00:14:15
Speaker 1: The city was all behind him.

00:14:17
Speaker 4: Major League had just come out not even that long before that, so there was it was just a really fun time to be an Indians fan.

00:14:24
Speaker 3: So you know, you're a team guy.

00:14:28
Speaker 2: One of the great things I respect about you is you I I think the greatest compliment you can give an athlete is saying he's a great teammate and you are a great teammate.

00:14:37
Speaker 3: You know, it takes an entire roster.

00:14:40
Speaker 2: Ruben Amarow was on those Cleveland teams that you.

00:14:48
Speaker 4: Was, hey, there was a lot of guys that came in and out, you know, but Ruben Tomorrow being there, I mean, listen, I the Indians there was that those are the teams I love growing up, and I think that it felt like they had a great chemistry in that locker room. It feels like these Phillies teams have that same chemistry. I was trump I was gonna try and draw the comparison, like it really does feel like they're so close, and the Philadelphia feels like they're similar to where we were in Cleveland. Behind the team, like there's there's a representation of the city that it feels strong, and I you know, it's it's a fun time. It was a fun time then to be an Indians fan, just like right now it's a fun time to be a Phillies fan. And I think I'm looking forward to seeing these guys compete this year. I don't know what it's going to look like. But I mean, damn near. They They're so close. They're so close, and hopefully they get hot at the right time of the year this year so we can watch them really really exciting late season postseason of baseball in a Citizens Bank. I don't know, I grew up going to the Jacobs Field. Jacobs Field was a good environment. I gotta admit, I don't know that anything's passing up the bank in red October. It's i mean, just absolutely insane environment.

00:16:05
Speaker 1: So yeah, I draw.

00:16:08
Speaker 6: A lot of comparisons to what happened last in twenty twenty three with the Eagles and how they finished this season.

00:16:15
Speaker 5: Yeah, and what might be able to happen with the Phillies.

00:16:19
Speaker 6: I mean, obviously they did not, you know, finish where they wanted to finish it at a very good ball club.

00:16:24
Speaker 5: Maybe one of the best ball clubs could not finish it off. Dodgers ended up doing their thing.

00:16:29
Speaker 6: I feel, my personal feeling is and I kind of wanted your opinion about this.

00:16:36
Speaker 5: It only takes a couple of different tweaks and certain things to get to that next level.

00:16:41
Speaker 6: First of all, talk about how difficult it is to win, and number two, how difficult it is to win a World Series or eight, you know, or a Super Bowl.

00:16:50
Speaker 4: It is so hard to win. You have to have all of these things converging at the right moment. And we were really lucky in twenty seventeen, and these guys were very fortunate for all converged issue. You have to have the talent, which the Phillies have. You have to have the talent matching up with the good fortune of health and peaking at the right moment, and then you have to have the coaching in football that matters greatly, as I'm sure it does in baseball. All of those things coming together give you an opportunity to get to the dance. And all you want is just that opportunity. And I think that the Eagles we had that in twenty seventeen, all come together beautifully. They had it this past year. And that's the reason it's so hard, especially in football, to repeat. You know, what my brother has done in Kansas City has been truly remarkable. I mean, they've been a seven consecutive AFC Championship games, they've been to five Super Bowls.

00:17:47
Speaker 1: That is beyond rare.

00:17:49
Speaker 4: And when you have the quarterback that they have and the coach that they have. It makes it a little bit you know, easier, I guess, but it's still hard. And I think for the Eagles, even though they're gonna have a lot of the same pieces, and I hope that it happens for them again next year, there does need to have I mean, you need to be healthy, you like, there's a lot of things that happen that require you to get there. And for the Phillies, they've been so close, they really have. They've been so close last year, I mean so much talent on that raster. It felt like they just got cold at the wrong time. And I don't like it sucks not having like a definitive like they just need to do this and then all of a sudden they're in the World Series. But it feels like in baseball, more than perhaps any other sport, there's like a part where like if you just get hot at the bats, get hot at the right time in the postseason, it's that's what it takes. Almost it's like having all the talent, but then it also is this extra factor of like, you know, fortune and luck to be peaking right at the right time, and they unfortunately just didn't have that last year. I still think they're really close. I really do. It was about as complete of a team as you could see it. Just you know, it didn't end up happening there at the end of the postseason. It's couldn't get the bats around.

00:19:10
Speaker 2: You're right, football, you got offense, defense, special teams. You couldn't put them all together. You play a good game. I mean the Phillies their bats when called a bullpen struggled in October. They're starting pitching excellent.

00:19:21
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, you know.

00:19:23
Speaker 2: How much do you watch the Phillies? And who do you like watching? You know what players do you like watching? But what players do you admire? And maybe which ones do you do you know and can converse with or interact with.

00:19:34
Speaker 4: Well, I always love watching offense. I like watching hitters, to be honest with you, I've always enjoyed that. As I've gotten older, I like knowing more about the pitcher and the catcher like relationship and how that process happens. I think it's very similar to center and quarterback. So I nerd out a little bit about that. When Rupp was the catcher, I got to talk to him down in training camp the year I was down there and that was one of the things I I wanted to pick his brain about, like, dude, what is what goes into all these decisions and everything? But for me, I love watching Bryce Harper obviously, I think you know who doesn't. That's the easy one.

00:20:11
Speaker 1: Schwarber. I love watching Kyle Schwarber.

00:20:15
Speaker 4: I think he's he's a little odd being the leadoff guy, but you know, I'm so used to like Kenny Lofton and like these speed demons being there, and the game has changed quite a bit. But then you watch him at the plate and it kind of makes sense where I don't know that I've seen a guy with a better eye like he will, he'll he'll let pitches go by that Like I'm like, I don't know how the heck he stayed off of that, but he has a tendency to do it. You know, He's got a great ability to have to hit for average as well as has a good slugging percentage.

00:20:50
Speaker 1: So I love watching him play.

00:20:54
Speaker 2: I want to take Kyle Schwarber. Kyle Schwarber, I've made this compare before. He is you?

00:21:03
Speaker 3: He is?

00:21:04
Speaker 4: He he is because well he's an Ohio guy, which I think Ohio guys we always stick together.

00:21:11
Speaker 2: You know, he's say, uh, he's from the Cincinnati area. He prefers gold Star chili over Skyline is different.

00:21:20
Speaker 3: He brings that.

00:21:21
Speaker 2: He brings that room together. He can go o for four uh and you wouldn't know it. He doesn't get his dabber down. He's there picking up teammates that might be struggling.

00:21:31
Speaker 1: He is a.

00:21:32
Speaker 3: Leader, he's tough.

00:21:34
Speaker 6: Uh.

00:21:35
Speaker 2: He plays all the time, and he reminds me, and he's just a character guy reminds me a lot of you.

00:21:41
Speaker 3: It might be that Ohio upbringing.

00:21:45
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I love the way he plays the game and his temperament and it's great to hear that that is I've always heard that in the locker room. He's very much the team guy and one of the guys that that glues everything together. And those are important pieces, whether it's baseball or football and up I we used to call them glue guys, like even if they're not necessarily the guy that's the biggest star, which obviously Kyles sh Worb was a huge star, but you know, even just having a guy in a meeting room that somehow just makes the environment more fun and energetic, and those guys are worth their weight in gold to a locker room. So and and the best teams typically are when your best players are those guys, because it's it just marries up and means that much more.

00:22:26
Speaker 1: So that's not surprising to hear. Also, I gotta.

00:22:28
Speaker 4: Say too, I got to give Zach Wheeler props because I mean, especially in I mean the postseason, watching what he was doing out there, and I think that's something that as a I don't know enough about the game to nerd out about pitching, and in that aspect of it, I wish I knew more about it, and like what goes into pitch selection and especially in today's game with all the analytics and and and pitch selection, and what each and every batter their strengths and weaknesses are and going in to it with that type of meticulous understanding. But then I talked to a guy like c Caes and Matthews say, hey, he's still got to hit my stuff. So I'm still throwing that slider, Like I don't care what the analytics say if he's good at the slider and he has a FACEC slider, So I think it's it's it's fun to watch that aspect of it, and I would love to know more about that, uh, the ins and outs of the mental part of that game.

00:23:24
Speaker 6: One of the Glue guys that I like to talk about and one of the greatest people in the game, and I think you mentioned him when you were mentioning some of the guys that that you had grown up watching was Jim Tomy and now little Birdie told me that Jim Tomy was one of your favorite players.

00:23:40
Speaker 5: That's what I understand.

00:23:42
Speaker 6: Yes, that's not true, and and I will tell you that back in the day, I don't know when, when it was.

00:23:46
Speaker 5: Happening at the Jake, it was also happening on the Flats.

00:23:49
Speaker 3: I don't know.

00:23:50
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, oh yeah.

00:23:52
Speaker 3: Tommy and I were Spot was bigger.

00:23:59
Speaker 1: At the love he Hey, nothing wrong with that. I was.

00:24:04
Speaker 4: I would have been too. That was a fun time, man. Yeah, I think yeah, Jim was told me was my favorite player. I mean, for a second, it was Albert Bell. That was my first like Indian that I fell in love with, and we actually named our dog Bell after Albert Bell growing up.

00:24:19
Speaker 1: But after that it.

00:24:20
Speaker 4: Was Jim told me all the way. And I loved all those players for different reasons. But Tomy just went about the game the right way. He's everybody I mean, I think he was everybody in Cleveland's favorite guy. And then that was one of the weird connections I had to Philadelphia right away before I ever.

00:24:35
Speaker 1: Came here, was that Tomy came here. You know, Charlie Manuel came here.

00:24:39
Speaker 4: There was like an Indian's like kind of move over here. And obviously Charlie ended up having really the World Series and I men'se success here, but it was it was fun watching those guys come over here. But yeah, Jim told me, was that was the guy in Cleveland. He was my favorite player. Obviously the home run nineties era, that was what the game was about. It still is in some ways today, but certainly in the nineties it was big. So love Jim Toby.

00:25:08
Speaker 5: But we did try to get Jim Toby on the show today.

00:25:13
Speaker 7: He is actually he is actually in Arizona right now with the White Sox as an ambassador on the field in uniform.

00:25:21
Speaker 1: Oh wow, Holy col But.

00:25:23
Speaker 2: Ruben and Jason, yes, we did try to get Jim Tony. He was unavailable, but he did send something along for Jason.

00:25:32
Speaker 1: Oh gosh.

00:25:33
Speaker 9: And Jim Tomy just wanted to say, hello, I know you're on the podcast today with the Boys. Big fan. You say you're a big fan. Well I'm an even bigger fan. So this is this is amazing. Glad you got to go on the show. You're doing great with your podcast work.

00:25:53
Speaker 1: Keep going.

00:25:53
Speaker 9: I've loved you as a player and uh and as a person representing Cleveland. The way you do has just been amazing. And continue all the great work with Travis and nothing but the best. Just so you know, we got something special for you that will be sending you real soon. So oh wow, have fun today and we'll see it soon.

00:26:22
Speaker 1: That fires me up. Oh my gods, that was amazing.

00:26:25
Speaker 3: Yeah, he was the best when he came to Philadelphia.

00:26:30
Speaker 6: Obviously a teammate of mine, but I was then as assistant GM when when he came, and he.

00:26:34
Speaker 5: Really put the Phillies back on the map in a lot of ways.

00:26:37
Speaker 6: And I owe a lot to him as a friend and as a player and as a master of the game.

00:26:42
Speaker 4: I mean, and he did everything the right way, and I think that that's why in Cleveland he was so well respected. And obviously it ended up being the same thing in Philadelphia, Like there was no nonsense. He just loved the game of baseball, worked his ass off, and you could tell that his teammates loved him. And at the end of the day, that's the legacy you lead behind, and the one you want to leave behind is that you're a great teammate and that you worked hard. I mean, what else could you leave behind that's better than that. I mean, being a one of the all time home run record holders in the game doesn't hurt either, But I mean it was, yeah, he was. He was definitely he was mister Cleveland growing up and still is. I mean you still mentioned his name down there in the flats. People are going to be raving.

00:27:26
Speaker 2: What a good good I mean, a great Hall of Fame player, but just a good person. You know, you'd see him come out for batting practice on the road and the home team would you know, they'd linger around because they want to shake his hand. A lot of guys, a lot of the posing players, we want to just say hi to Jim Tomy because just universally loved throughout the game. Just a great, great man. I'm so happy he was able to And it says a lot about you that you know he was. He was your favorite player he gravitated toward a guy like that.

00:27:58
Speaker 1: Yes, absolutely.

00:27:59
Speaker 4: I mean I think that a lot of the players that we loved in Cleveland are the same type of players that Philadelphia loves. And I think that it's no surprise to me that he was just as beloved in Philly and his short stint here as he was in Cleveland. And you know, I I love the players growing up that gave great effort. It seemed like a care It meant a lot to them, and that felt like they were they were team guys. And that's the vibe you got with Jim, that's the that's the vibe you got with trying to think of another you know, Sandy Alomar, that's the vibe you got with a lot of those Indians guys. And that's one of the reasons that organization was so well run and good. And yeah, for sure, did did.

00:28:45
Speaker 2: I know you played? I know you played some hockey growing up. Did the Chuck boys on they know how to stir it up? Yes, sir, But well, did you play any baseball growing up?

00:28:59
Speaker 1: I did, so. I played baseball.

00:29:01
Speaker 4: I ended up ripping my growth played off my arm when I was either eleven or twelve, and I tried to come back and play after that, but I never really threw it as well. I mean before that, I could bring it. For a young kid, I was a really good pitcher control, needed a lot of work on the control, but I was throwing it so hard people didn't really want to be in front of it, so it was. But once I ripped that off my elbow, it never I could never really throw it the same. So I ended up switching over to lacrosse, another sport that could put a helmet on and try and hit somebody in. But I loved baseball. That was my first sport that I fell in love with for sure. I mean it was baseball. And that was my dad. You know, he coached us right. He would come to the ballpark. He did the batting order at that time because it was community baseball. He didn't do the travel league that Travis and I ended up playing in. To the community league baseball when we were real young. Coach pitch. He did the lineup based on whoever showed up. If you showed up first, you were betting first. You showed up second, you were betting second. And if you didn't, if you weren't one of the first nine guys to show up. You were starting on the bench, and I think his whole reason for doing that was, you know, we're just we're trying to instill values and things in these kids right now. It's not that's the most important thing, but you know, he he got us out there on the tee at a young age and got us to fall in love with the sport. And you know, I wish my elbow would It'd be interesting if I if my elbow wouldn't ever done that, kept playing, who knows what would have happened. But I still get MRIs today and they're like, you know, you got like a piece of bone sticking out right there.

00:30:36
Speaker 1: I'm like, yeah, that's from a long time ago. Don't worry about that.

00:30:40
Speaker 3: Well, he has to get out the slog ball, Reuben. That's right, you got to get him out.

00:30:45
Speaker 6: Hey, Jason, I just wanted to ask you, in your wildness dreams growing up, you're talking about your your childhood and your wildness dreams. Did you ever think that you'd be doing the things you do now, the platform that you're on, the podcast, the show that you have, the late night show, all the things now, your wife is probably even more.

00:31:06
Speaker 1: Popular than you are, rightfully, so.

00:31:09
Speaker 3: Did you ever think that this is going to be your life?

00:31:13
Speaker 4: No, of course not, not in a million years. I had no idea. I mean, you know my parents didn't they. I mean, professional sports was not like an achievable thing, you know what I mean, Like, we're really good. And my dad always used to tell me, you know, no matter how big and fast and strong you are, there's somebody out there, these bigger, faster and stronger than you. Like, make sure you're stilling in school, getting good grades, just keep working, and I'd never really become growing up. It's a dream, but it's not like something that's tangible that you feel like is ever going to happen. And the moment you first start realizing, you get into high school and then you realize, okay, you know, I'm good as good as some of these guys going to college. Maybe I can go to college one day, and then you sure enough that happens. And then in college, you know, some of these guys start going to the NFL, and you're like, you know what, I can hang with this guy in the football field. Maybe I can make it to the NFL one day, and sure enough, you know, at some point it all just falls in line, and you know, you just keep working and keep trying, and you know, keep you know, putting everything you got into it. And we were really fortunate to have the ability matched up with the good fortune to staying healthy to have these long careers. And now for some reason, everybody likes listening to us talking to a microphone. I haven't quite figured that out yet, but we're running with it. And but yeah, no, not in a million years. I mean we I didn't know if I was going to work in the steel mills because this was my dad did my dad was he sold like at first he was in the mills. Then he started selling a sand product that helped in the cooling of the steel in Cleveland, and you know, I was like, man, maybe I'm going to go into these mills. I remember going and visiting them and we'd have to put on all this flame retarded gear with my dad and then be walking and there'd be this giant ladle i mean massive going over our head with molten steel in it, and just thinking about how awesome this was. So who knows, in another lifetime, maybe I'm working in a steel mill in Cleveland.

00:33:19
Speaker 3: O Whisle.

00:33:20
Speaker 1: But my Philadelphia are.

00:33:22
Speaker 7: Happy and that you're that you've got to do on that uniform because you you made it special for a lot of people for many, many years.

00:33:30
Speaker 5: So we as a Philadelphia and I can appreciate everything.

00:33:35
Speaker 6: That you've done to this for this city and uh and I wish you all the best in your in all of your future endeavors.

00:33:41
Speaker 5: I don't know, there's so many.

00:33:44
Speaker 4: You're gonna start narrowing them down here, but I do appreciate it, Rubin. I mean, it's I feel very fortunate to have come to Philadelphia.

00:33:52
Speaker 1: I think Philly. Yeah, look at that there's blue. That's what I'm struggling. He's having some hard issues.

00:34:01
Speaker 4: Hopefully, I don't know how much longer we're going to get out of them, but he's doing good right now. Yeah, I got you know, I don't know how many other cities as a center you can amass the amount of attention that you can in this city. And it's a testament to you know, what they care about in their football players. All they care about is that you work your ass off that they obviously want you to be a really good player, but they want somebody that's passionate and cares as much as they do. And I got fortunate to come to a city that as long as you bust your ass and you put everything out there, they're going to love you. And I couldn't ask for anything more. So, very very happy to have played here, Very happy to live here, Still very happy to watch the Phillies this year, no doubt about it.

00:34:51
Speaker 2: This is such a great experience speaking with you and honor and I echo everything Rubin says. You're a classman and it's really a privilege to speak with you. Could we finish up with a thirty second step into the middle of the Phillies clubhouse, a thirty second pep.

00:35:08
Speaker 3: Talk for the five for the twenty five Phillies.

00:35:16
Speaker 1: Man.

00:35:18
Speaker 4: Trying to think of like where I would go with that, if I could, if I could do anything.

00:35:22
Speaker 3: Turn you are on the museum steps.

00:35:24
Speaker 1: Well, museum steps is hard. That's that's at the end of it.

00:35:28
Speaker 4: Unfortunate, that's the easy one, after you've already got everything accomplished. Usually to start the season off. If I'm talking to the group, you know, uh, boys, we've got a unique position here. We got a lot of talent, more talent than potentially anybody else in this league. And as long as we just keep going every single day, keep working to improve, keep getting better, when this thing is all said and done, we'll be in the right mindset and the right moment when it matters most. But we got to take care of each and every game, take care of each and every week. The World Series is the goal. But all we're gonna do is win today, and it starts right now. It starts right here in clear Water, Florida. We're just gonna take it one day at a time and if we just keep stacking them, just keep improving, will be the best team we can be. Come October. There we go perfect, like to go from top. I have a feeling topp are spreading a similar message. You'll just be just fine.

00:36:32
Speaker 3: No doubt, no doubt.

00:36:33
Speaker 5: He thanks so much, Jason, Really appreciate you taking the time.

00:36:38
Speaker 6: I know you're a super busy guy man, and you got so much going down for you to take the time to do this.

00:36:45
Speaker 5: Sincerely, really really really grateful that you that you joined us.

00:36:50
Speaker 4: Absolutely honored to be here, guys, Thanks for having me. Good luck to the Phillies this year. Hopefully you guys have a lot of great Philly shows ahead of you with a lot of optive.

00:37:00
Speaker 5: The Philly Show is brought to you by the Foul Territory Network.

00:37:04
Speaker 4: Subscribe to The Phillies Show on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.

00:37:08
Speaker 5: If you like us, give us a review, Follow us on Instagram, TikTok x, Facebook, and threads.

00:37:14
Speaker 7: Find Rubens's analysis before, during, and after Phillies games on NBC Sports Philadelphia, on the Sports.

00:37:20
Speaker 5: Radio ninety four, WIP Morning Show, and MLB Network. Find Jim at all phl y dot com.

00:37:26
Speaker 9: Find me at MLB dot com, the Phillies beatnewsletter, and MLB Network