Midweek Mail Bag

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Hi, this is Chase Utley and this is the Phillies Show.

00:00:18
Speaker 2: Hi, everybody, Welcome to the Philly Show. Ruben Tomorrow, Junior, Jim Salisbury, Todds A lucky It's Wednesday, August seventh, twenty twenty four. The Phillies have won two out of their last three games. They won Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Guys, tonight, the Phillies have an opportunity Wednesday night to win their first series since they swept the Dodgers at home last month. They've lost six straight series. They've been playing a little bit better. They've been getting some hits, they've been pitching a little bit better. The bullpen locked it down last night. So some encouraging signs out in La La. Of course, you see a lot of people. Ruby, you saw Chase Utley was at the ballpark yesterday. Greg Dobbs has been at the ballpark. It's aw Randy Wolf, Mike Leeber thought might be dropping by. I've heard so some some improvement, some signs of life from the Phillies. That's been. That's been a nice change of pace for for for everybody.

00:01:18
Speaker 3: What do you guys see me?

00:01:20
Speaker 4: What are you saying you're with the team.

00:01:22
Speaker 3: Well, I mean, I tell you, the attitude has been great. I mean I've walked through the clubhouse. It's a totally different clubhouse than it used to be like five or six years ago.

00:01:33
Speaker 5: They've they've changed things around it.

00:01:35
Speaker 3: And I've gotten a chance to walk through the because we to access the manager's office, you got to go through the clubhouse. And you know, the guys actually look loose and relaxed and doing going about their business, going about their work. I don't really see a ton of change in like what's going on inside the clubhouse actually, But but you're right.

00:01:55
Speaker 5: I think it starts with starting pitching. There's no question when.

00:01:58
Speaker 3: You have a starter like Wheeler who just dealt on Sunday, and then you come back with Christopher Sanchez, who was just phenomenal yesterday.

00:02:07
Speaker 5: I mean, I love the way he went about his business man. He was throwing strikes, he'd been working on some things. He had not had a great July. You know, he signed the big contract and he had earned it. He had been pitching very well, and I thought it was a very shrewd move by the Phillies. As he continues to progress as a major leaguer, But but he went you know, he went into the into the lab, so to speak, and worked on some things, and I mean it was just delightful to watch him pitch yesterday. He threw inside nicely against Otani, kept him off balance. It's the second time he's faced him.

00:02:43
Speaker 3: He did a nice job with him, did a pretty good job with Freddie Freeman. I mean, those are really really good left handed hitters, and did it. I mean, he did a heck of a job of keeping things down. And when you get good starting pitching, man, you got a chance. Came up with some big hits, some home runs. It was a nice Philadelphia Phillies win and something that we had seen in the early part of the season here out here in LA. Hopefully they can carry over with Tyler Phillips on the on the bump tonight.

00:03:12
Speaker 4: Yeah, they've played three pretty good games in a row, winning two of them, which is a good sign. It's a sign that they're kind of coming out of this. There was, you know, Christopher Sanchez a great job last night keeping the ball on the ground. You know, they end that one ending where they strung some hits together. We haven't seen that in a while. That was good. They hit the ball over the wall, which they need to do their home run reliant. But I still think you can win other ways with this offense. When your strength of hits together did a lot of that in the first half of the season. It's good to see them kind of getting back to that. So also gave him a nice little bounce, a little little jokes started at second base against the lefty. We've seen that, you know, a little bit more often recently. You guys get in the vibe that this is kind of becoming a platoon at second It might be.

00:03:56
Speaker 2: You know, Rob was asked about that yesterday and he said, yes, he said, it's more about Sosa than it is about Scott. He says he's confident in Stott's ability to hit left handed pitching, but he's got to work Sosa in there. But that said, if Stott continues to struggle, I could see a situation where where Sosa is in there. Now, you know that that would be interesting compost season time if it's if it stays that way. But but I think that's definitely a possibility. And it was interesting yesterday Rob Thompson starting Brandon Marsh against Clayton Kershaw and Marsh's at bats against lefty's bent have been a lot better, and and Rob said, he's also open minded to the idea that, you know, if if Marsh continues to hit left handed pitching, maybe they keep him out there in center field compost season times. So some things that you might not have necessarily thought about a month ago as you get down the stretch are kind of coming into plays as they kind of try to figure things out heading into October.

00:04:55
Speaker 5: And that's amazing how things can flip.

00:04:57
Speaker 3: Right. There's a couple of months ago, your a man, Scott's got to play every day, and you got to platoon the other guy and maybe give you the other guy, give Marsh a chance, maybe against the left east, but then he's so bad against him. Now you can't play against left handers. And now it's almost like a flip because you haven't seen the development and Stott that you thought you would get.

00:05:18
Speaker 5: If it were me, I would go ahead and platoon him right now.

00:05:23
Speaker 3: Because this young man in Sosa impacts the game almost every single time he plays, whether it's a nice defensive play or it's a big bass hit or a sack fly, or yesterday was a big home run. I mean, this guy's playing with a lot of confidence. I know that he loves playing for Rob Thompson. Rob Thompson loves him and trusts him. And I mean I got to find out whether this guy can actually be a real platoon for me. And I mean as good as time as any right now here in August to see because face some left handers, man and and Scott has not, you know, swung the back consistently well, So he hasn't earned that right to be able to hit every single day against the left handers. So I would give him a shot if I were Rob Thompson. But again there's the egos. He's got a massage, he's gotta you know, there's things he's got to do. You know, the whole thing with not pinch hitting for Garrett Stubbs, you know, a couple of nights ago. You know, he that wasn't an ego thing as much as it was he wanted to make sure that JT is is ready physically to be able to do that sort of thing, you know, sit down all game long and then bounce into the game. I think he now feels comfort more comfortable about doing something like that after having talked to him. So you're gonna see some things when you talk about, you know, preparing for the playoffs, you're gonna see some things. I think that is that are you know, pretty germane to being in the playoffs, like to to being part of what it is to be a contending team in important games in September and October.

00:07:06
Speaker 5: And it's as good a time as any to find out.

00:07:09
Speaker 4: It's about winning ball games now and in October. If the platoon gives you a better chance of winning that ballgame, you must go with it. If you are the player the subject of the platoon and you do not like it, perform better against the left or the righty and you will get more full time opportunities. It's simple performance based industry, performance based game, performance based business perform you will play.

00:07:37
Speaker 2: Especially on a team like this that's trying to win the World Series. It's they're not you know, they're not fighting a you know, they're not just happy to be here. This is a team that's trying to win.

00:07:46
Speaker 3: A world They're not playing they're not playing titty wings.

00:07:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly right. So the last couple of days we've asked for some listener viewer questions guys, and we got a lot, and I thought it would be fun to kind of just let's just go through some of these. Let's start with a big picture when he kind of started talking big picture. But this one's from d Stone. Danny Stone, I guess on a scale of one to ten, how worried are you, guys about the current state of the Phillies. Let's start with Jim. Jim, how ward are you in a scale of one to ten, let me.

00:08:18
Speaker 4: Take my pulse. I'll warried, Warry and panic are not in my vocabulary at least at least at this time of the year. So I'm probably a one point.

00:08:31
Speaker 3: Or at your or at your age, I'm.

00:08:36
Speaker 4: A one point five one point five my warr meter. I think it's uh, you know, baseball, ebbs and flows. I'm gonna throw all the cliches at you, the ups and the downs, it's baseball. I think they have good players with good track records, and I think they're going through a funk, you know, the Dodgers kind of going through with the Oriols have gone through with, the Yankees have gone through it. It's bitten the Phillies, and I think they're gonna live to tell about it, uh and maybe be stronger for it. Yes, there is swing and missing this lineup, even when they're going good, there's gonna be nice when you go, what are they doing? It's there's a lot of swing and miss this chase. It's it's just in their DNA. But when they put it together and they have great games, they can play over that. They'll be nice. Though when it rears its head and it'll frustrate you. They've had injuries in the starting rotation that's difficult to deal with. They had a little lull in the starting rotation from Sanchez and Wheeler had a tough one. That's part of baseball. I still like this team. My worry factor one point five nic.

00:09:40
Speaker 3: So I'll give it to you from a several different angles as coming from the Ruby tomorrow, the player I have zero, okay, absolutely zero, no worries at all. I know the boys will be fine. As a Philadelphia Phillies fan growing up, I'm at a nine as a GM. When I was a GM, i'd probably be in like the six to seven range. Really okay, But I will tell you that I'm probably right now, probably right in the four or five. And the reason why I'm four or five is because the only person that I'm really concerned about, or I guess the element that I'm worried about is the starting pitching. If the starting pitching, if you get Suarez back, and you know, I think he is starting to develop. He had a nice bullpen on Monday. He pretty aggressively pitched. I think he's going to start to move forward, maybe face some hitters in a couple of outings, could have another, I think aggressive bullpen when they in Arizona, probably go to SAFS. You know, see a couple of hitters then and then after that, who knows whether he goes on a rehab or not. But if he gets through that with his back and he's comfortable apparently through really well in his bullpen, then then I go back to like a two because I really believe in this starting rotation. When they're at full bore, it's really good. The Christopher Sanchez start was huge. They've got Taiwan Walker coming back to create some depth. I don't think he's a world beater, but he's a major league pitcher and he's starting to throw a little bit better. He's not quite ready. He had a rain out in his last rehab. So he's pitching I think tonight in Akron and so for the fighting phils and reading, and you know, I just gotta I just got to believe that if their health of their pitching staff is okay, then I dropped down to a pretty low number.

00:11:39
Speaker 4: Can I Can I say something I don't You know, Worry to me is different than being ticked off. I think you can be ticked off like a nine point nine at the way they're playing. You can be ticked off and hell's going on and tighten it up without being war because you know, I think if you observed the big picture and you know a little bit about the team, you think they're going to come out of it, that reduces your warry. But you want to play good every night, you want to have high standards. You can be pissed off and ticked off about the way they're playing. To me, that's different than worry. Does anybody agree?

00:12:18
Speaker 2: I agree one hundred percent. I think that I think everybody in that clubhouse has been frustrated. You know, they've said as much, but they've also said that they believe in the talent in the room, like you guys have been saying and they are not panicked about it. I talked a little bit yesterday with Dave den browskinting, and I said, how concerned are He's like, I'm not concerned at all. I think we're good. We're going to be fine.

00:12:39
Speaker 5: You know.

00:12:40
Speaker 2: And Jim you mentioned it health to the rotation Rubin you talk just talked about He said, what do you think about it? We've lost three out of our top six starters right now, we're without Suarez, Walker, Turnbull. That's a big hit. But yeah, so I'm like at it too. I'm not concerned at all either. I think they're going to be fine. I think it's that it's not like these guys are, in my opinion, at the very end of their primes and you're going, uh oh, is this the downside? Are we seeing the downside in the second half of the twenty twenty All these guys are really in their primes. So I'm not for that reason, I'm not. I'm not worried about it.

00:13:16
Speaker 5: It's you mean they're not It's not like twenty twelve.

00:13:19
Speaker 2: That's this is not the twenty and twelve Phillies where you're going, uh oh, not yet, Yeah, not yet. No, I think I think they've got another couple of years to go, you know, theoretically before before they get to that point. But all right, so let's you know, a lot of questions. I'm just generally speaking because honestly, like half the questions we're about the backup catcher position. And it's to me, it's kind of uh. I think it's just kind of coming off that pinch it at bad or non pitch it at bad on Monday night. But do you have any thoughts on the backup catcher situation? A lot of people asking about Raphael Marshawn and Garrett Garrett Stubbs to me, to me, that's not even a big issue, I guess because it's a backup catcher. I think they've got a lot of other things they got to figure out. That those things get figured out, we're not talking about the backup catcher situation.

00:14:16
Speaker 4: Yeah, if you're focused on that, some other things must be going pretty well. You know, people are up in arms about not pinch hitting the other night, and Rob wanted to get JT a full day. You know, from covering this team for a long time and listening and trying to parse things and seeing how they handle certain things, you know. I don't know if that was a completely solo Rob Thompson's decision. I think when JT comes off the IL, that their medical team and their sports science team are involved, and then mapping out what the next month looks like on a surgically repaired knee for an important player, that day off might have been scripted two weeks ago, and there was no way he was not going to get it. And to pinch hit in that situation means if you tie the game, he's got to go out there and get behind the dish. And they wanted him to get a full day on that knee. And now maybe they're thinking was shaped by the big picture that you know, they have a good amount of wins and they're looking good in terms of the postseason picture. But I think there's a chance that that decision was I'm sure Rob Thompson's part of it, but even bigger than Rob, and in a way, he's following an organizational game plan. I don't know if you guys agree, Ruben, might you agree there?

00:15:29
Speaker 3: I sure do, there's no question about it. I don't think the comfort of him coming into games again this is in the and he's so important because if the backup catcher situation becomes important only if JT is not able to catch, you know, ninety percent of the games like it typically does, or eighty five percent of the games, and I think they're sort of easing him in. You'll we will find out a lot about how the Philadelphia Phillies feel about Marshawn when they expand the rosters in sum because on the days off, when JAT needs a day off, I got to believe that Marshall will be We'll be back there catching because I.

00:16:09
Speaker 5: Love this kid. I think this kid, at some point, if he.

00:16:12
Speaker 3: Gets his help together and his durability together, has a chance to be a number one catcher.

00:16:19
Speaker 5: Again.

00:16:19
Speaker 3: It's a big if, but I love the way he receives, he calls an excellent game. He can swing the bat a little bit. He's gaining some confidence there from both sides. And you know, starting catchers who run can run a game and can receive and throw the way this kid can and be a switch hitter.

00:16:37
Speaker 5: That's a real plus. So we'll find out a lot about him in September.

00:16:40
Speaker 3: I think when he comes back up and I know they can't expand a lot, what is it what one or two players they can only bring. I don't think. I don't know what the maximum number of players they can bring after this expansion. They used to be unlimited. Now it's just a couple of two or three players. And so so it might be him and you know, say another pitcher. So I just think it's not that big of a deal. Uh. It's obvious that Garret Stubs is not a great offensive player, but I mean he's there. He's there for a couple of different reasons. One he's an important part of the team in that clubhouse, and two he's actually and more importantly, he's he does a pretty good job behind the plate, running and running a game and doing those sorts of things. So you'd rather have depth there and and listen, I get it. I think it would be a kind of a blow to the clubhouse in a lot of ways to beat flip flopping those guys. And I don't think it's all that important right now.

00:17:39
Speaker 2: Totally couldn't agree more. This is so. This one's from Keita.

00:17:43
Speaker 4: I believe the name is.

00:17:44
Speaker 2: I think I'm mispronouncing it. It's basically Rob Thompson, question about his style, says he's like Nero watching Rome Byrne. He needs to be honest with himself and make some changes. I don't care if the big money guys like it or not. She wants some rant and raven it sounds like, or some benchings or some lineup shuffles. And to me, that's just not who Rob Thompson is. And I think the guys in that clubhouse appreciated. I think the guys in that clubhouse are very good at policing themselves. And you know, Kyle Schwarber the other day in Seattle said, it's not like we're not working. We're in the cage every day taking hundreds and hundreds of swings for maybe four five swings all night. We're working our butts off, and I was, I'm reminded of something that Jeff frank Course said on the show in late June when he said, you know, this team has so many high price stars, but he's like, I'll give Bryce Harper three hundred thirty million because I know he cares and it kills him when he's not playing well. I know I'll give Trey Turner three in here million because I know it kills him when he's not playing well. You know, Kyle Schwarber eighty million, because I know it kills him when he's not playing well. And these guys, these guys care and they're can continue to work out of it. And I don't think Rob tom and ranting and raving or flipping over a spread or you know, chewing out the team in front of the dugout so all the TV cameras can catch it and you know they can play it on MLB Network or on NBC Sports Philadelphia. That's not his style and I don't think it would be effective in this clubhouse. So you know, keep calm, carry on. That's the Rob Thompson mantra, and it seems to be working quite well.

00:19:26
Speaker 4: I agree with you, Todd. He is the steady mariner who takes that vessel and steers it around the sea monsters and the tidal waves, and you come out on the other end surviving at all. And for him to start tipping over stuff would not be true to his personality. And guys see you right through that, and then you lose the clubhouse. So you need to be true to your person If it is your personality to throw around and tip over the spread and throw around furniture, then that's fine, but he needs to be true to his personality. That doesn't mean he can't call somebody behind closed doors and air him, because I think that is more his style, and I do think that happens. But you got to be true, You got to be steady. This is you know, it's not football where you're playing in what sixteen or eighteen games, you're banging your head against the locker. You're coming out and tearing somebody's head off. You have to maintain and I believe you need to play with energy and exuberance. I believe in an emotion in that way, but I don't think you come out and start smashing stuff. It's a different kind of emotion. It's a more even keeled emotion in this game. And I think your top managers, at least these days, maybe back in Gene marks Ea it was different, but at least in these days, you need to be You need to be steady. Do you think Bryce Harper, how do you think Bryce Harper is going to react if if Rob Thompson tips over the batracket in the dugout, do you think it's going to have any impact on him? Do you think any impact on schwarbur and Castiano's they're going to be like, what the hell is this? Be stay and be yourself, don't change. They've had a pretty good run here for for what two full years since he takes he's taken over. They're having a little blip here. Let's not let's not start having personality transplants become because of one blip.

00:21:12
Speaker 3: Totally agree with what you guys are saying, and you're right about the personality. I will tell you that he's was not happy when they were playing well poorly. Should was not happy and he should not be. But if you if you remember and think back to the guys who have the greatest amount of success as a manager, guys like Bobby Cox and Brian Snitker even and you know, you start thinking back about even a guy like Jim Fragosi, all of those and Charlie Manuel.

00:21:44
Speaker 5: I mean, the sky could be falling and they stay steady in the dugout.

00:21:48
Speaker 3: That does not mean at all that they're not that they're not emotional about how they're playing. They're pissed, Believe me, baseball men get pissed, but they also understand the importance of being level headed and steadying the ship and that's exactly you know. You don't have to agree with all the moves that Rob Thompson makes, and there's some questionable things that he's done in the playoffs and stuff like that, but I love the way he goes about it. He understands the psyche of the player. He knows over time, he's seen the changes that have occurred as far as when the pat guy's on the ass and when the you know beat on him a little bit. And the reality of it is I love the way he handles things. And it's a great combination of you know, understanding and yet still demanding because he's going to demand excellence from them. Believe me, if he sees people not working or doing their jobs, he's going to let him know and has but he'll do it behind closed doors when where the player will not be embarrassed. And then that way he doesn't lose the player. He needs that guy. He needs everybody to pull on the same side of the rope. And I think it does a heckup a job in that area if.

00:23:05
Speaker 4: The manager gets all nervous and fidgety and chewing his nails and fussing and feud and smashing stuff. He's the leader. Those guys feed off that negative energy, and all of a sudden they gripping the bat handle tighter. It becomes defeatist. So be true to your personality. He is the you know, kind of the calm mariner taking this team through the seas and just continue being that.

00:23:31
Speaker 2: Anthony Fiore wants to know what is your favorite Phillies prank or joke you were a part of. So let's get off the serious baseball talk and see if you guys have any funny. Uh, well, we thanks involved in.

00:23:49
Speaker 4: We told the Will Vanable one early on in the podcast. I pumped when they signed. I'll tell it again real quick. They signed Will will Venable, And Todd says to me in the morning, Hey, you signed Will Venable. This is the spring training I go, yeah, it's wilven What I said, it's Will not Venable. It's so we're in spring training. It's like eight o'clock in the morning. The day goes by. We finally get uh with Pete mccannon late in the afternoon, and we had both forgotten about this. Uh and Todd says to Pete mccannon, what are your plans for an able? Pete mccannon goes what he goes. What are your plans for NBA? Venable Todd, I just couldn't know. I still laugh when I think about that, but I just like that's a good podcast. It's uh, it's one of my all time favorites, you know, when it comes from ballpark pranks. John Vukovich was way up there. I used to love when he took Chris Wheeler's briefcase and he put it out a shortstop during BP and guys were just trying to you often crush Wheelers briefcase. That was always a good one.

00:25:07
Speaker 3: I got one when I was a bat boy and it was not pretty. So when I was a bat boy back in the day, I think it was in nineteen eighty one. It was either eighty one or eighty two, and Dick Ruthven was still on the staff. I think Mike Kruco was with the Phillies at that time. It was long time broadcaster with the Giants. Now great, both great guys. But I used to have a I used to leave my Coca Cola or my Diet Coke right by the balls because it used to get really, really hot. And back then, you know, we didn't know about hydration. We didn't know that, you know, Coca cola was not really hydrating yourself. Oh my god, it probably a diuretic. Anyway, those guys used to chew tobacco, and I left the lid off so when i'd come back, you know, and I finally one time, I go back and apparently they were like leaving tobacco juice into my thing, so I couldn't tell that it was a coke because it was dark. Apparently I was drinking some tobacco juice for you for about two weeks until I realized what the hell was going on that that was that was natter and then he they figured they finally saw me figure it out, laughing there, rear ends off.

00:26:27
Speaker 5: I'm a you sons, I can't believe doing that to me.

00:26:30
Speaker 2: It's just disgusting.

00:26:31
Speaker 3: Anyway, Hey, Tom, that's Gross's that was a gross That was disgusting.

00:26:36
Speaker 4: Did you ever hear the one about the young Phillies player gotta get gets off to a nice successful start and years ago and goes out and buys himself a a fire engine red Ford Explorer, And it's really proud of this Ford Explorer, and really proud that he's a big League or in a Philly and he goes to the DMV and gets a personalized license plate for this red Ford Explorer that says I or it says it says love l u V number two hit love to Hit on the personalized license plate. And then he goes in the tank and he's slumping, and he comes out one night somebody had taken a piece of athletic tape and under love to Hit, they had written, but can't I've never heard that might have been this young Philly Reuben.

00:27:38
Speaker 3: That would be me, you know, I was. I was a little cocky when I first got to the big leagues because I sort of had to deep myself into thinking, oh, it's much better player than I really was, uh and uh.

00:27:53
Speaker 5: To some of the some of the veterans didn't care for that too much.

00:27:56
Speaker 3: In ninety two and I actually had a very good start to the season. I was trying to be I was humble about the start. I was trying to be humble about that. But my license, I mean I did love to hit. I mean I worked at it a lot. But then I guess I think it was John Cruck who actually asked. I think it was maybe Phil Sheridan at the time, who was at the time was working as like a working.

00:28:17
Speaker 5: In the clubhouse.

00:28:17
Speaker 3: I think he told him to go put this thing on this tape underneath and say he loves to hit but he can't.

00:28:27
Speaker 4: I actually I actually asked Krucky if it was him, and he said it wasn't and he said check with Mitch.

00:28:35
Speaker 3: Oh, I could have been Mitchie Pou too. I will say this about I thought for a long time it was it was Crunky, But I will tell you this that John cruck did it really did me a solid years months later when I came back, I got sent down for a little bit and I came back and he actually grabbed me at my locker and had some real encouraging words for me. At the time, you know, that was the time of those guys in the you know, it's kind of the Broad Street bullies type type guys that they had a very very tough clubhouse and and staff, you know, some old school guys and was it was not the welcoming place for the rookies as it is in this day and age, especially with the with these Phillies, because they're great.

00:29:16
Speaker 5: But but yeah, John was really, really great.

00:29:21
Speaker 4: Memories.

00:29:22
Speaker 2: Funny, what about the time, Jim, you you pranked me over the phone and and told me that Jose Mesa punched you in the nose.

00:29:34
Speaker 3: That one.

00:29:36
Speaker 4: So this was today. I had a little we had a little battle. We got over it. It was nothing. It happens.

00:29:41
Speaker 3: And uh, yeah, you were very critical of him. You were very critical of him.

00:29:45
Speaker 4: No, I really was. Jose.

00:29:48
Speaker 3: Jose tended to be a little sensitive about about things when when things didn't go well for him. He actually Jose for a long time until Papavon rolled around. He was, you know what, the most saves And yeah, he was the same.

00:30:01
Speaker 4: I was on his side on this one because he had an option whose deal if he finished fifty five games, he would get five and a half million the next year. And all of a sudden, you guys started taking the ball from him. So you know, there was a little trying to keep that option from kicking in. And I think he was more frustrated at you guys Ruben upstairs than he was at me, and he kind of unloaded on me. But you know, it was no big deal. But anyway, we'd go to Pittsburgh.

00:30:28
Speaker 2: Well, well, you guys had a little confrontation in the clubhouse in Affiliafter It's a Sunday night game against the Cordoninals. Mace's on the mound. He gets pulled. Now, Mace has not been in the clubhouse all season. Postgame, you can never find him. You can never find him. He's he's not in the clubhouse when the media is in there. This night, he gets pulled out of the game in the ninth inning. And who's sitting at.

00:30:47
Speaker 6: His dugout stroking his goatee cs So Jim, being the great reporter he is, he goes, huh, Jose is at his locker, maybe he wants to finally talk.

00:30:59
Speaker 2: And then you take it from there at Jim, Yeah, because he was after you.

00:31:03
Speaker 4: Had had a finish taken from him, which would maybe you know, helped him get to his options. So I just I asked him if he was talking, and he just kind of got very upset at me, and we got upset at each other, but it kind of went away. Yeah, and like but there was a little bit of a cold war for a while. And so like a week later we go to Pittsburgh and it was a Friday Saturday Sunday series Friday night and for some reason you couldn't get to the Friday night game. So I covered the Friday night game and I think you were driving over to Pittsburgh.

00:31:35
Speaker 2: Right, yeah, I was.

00:31:36
Speaker 4: I was, And you drive over to Pittsburgh and uh, you know, it was after the game and I'm upstairs typing the story and my phone rings and I pick it up and you and you're like, hey, I'm pulling into Pittsburgh. How did everything go tonight? And I kind of like pinch my nose and I go, you st have a gun. Don't you ever take another day off? Like what's the matter? He goes, I go, Mason drilled me right in them. No, my nose was broken. I'm bleeding all over my keyboard. He's like, you're gonna go to the hospital what have you? And I'm like, no, man, I'm gonna finish my story. I'm a gamer that is all panic that jose Mesa has broken my nose, which obviously it was a joke. And uh, finally I let him in another game. I'm like, I'm just kidd and I'll see you back to the hotel.

00:32:28
Speaker 2: I one hundred percent to believe it, because they were getting at it now. They didn't really get at it. But it was they were kind of nose to nose in in Philly at the Vet in the clubhouse at the Vet No. Three that that night, I was like, oh my god, I got Jim punched out by Jose Masa in the clubhouse at Pittsburgh.

00:32:44
Speaker 6: That was.

00:32:46
Speaker 4: But we actually when Jose he left and then he came back, you guys brought him back. Uh. Yeah, he got his I want to say, one thousandth appearance once. I think it was his one thousandth major league appearance and Phillies, you know, and I wrote a story about it, and uh, he was really grateful to that that milestone was recognized, and uh, you know, we we man hugged and it was really great. He was a really good guy. I like.

00:33:14
Speaker 3: I like Jose lots I got a chance to We called him show Table. Uh the Table was a great teammate man. I played with him in Cleveland and uh just enjoyed having having to be around. When when Ed acquired him, I think it acquired him from the Seattle Mariners. That christ there's a lot of questions about, you know, wow, is this guy done or is he not done? But I think you know, the scouting people. Did a nice job. He actually did a really good job for us for a long time, and in a tough city that is not very forgiving.

00:33:51
Speaker 5: And uh. And you know, I have a lot of respect.

00:33:53
Speaker 3: For Joe because he did a nice job for the Phillies and for the longest, for a long time he was he was racking up a lot of saves. It wasn't always super clean, but you know, other than Mo, who's super clean, I had a lot, not too many of them.

00:34:08
Speaker 4: I had a lot of respect for him too. He do you remember what his warm up music was, you guys, I do Do you remember it was?

00:34:16
Speaker 2: Was it it Brian Adams?

00:34:18
Speaker 3: Yeah? It was Brian Adams.

00:34:20
Speaker 4: Summer of sixty nine because him and his brother, the story goes.

00:34:24
Speaker 3: His twin brother, right, it was.

00:34:26
Speaker 4: I don't know if it's twin, but him and his brother signed with the Blue Jays originally, and they didn't speak any English, and they came to the States or wherever, and they bought that cassette tape of Brian Adams and they played it over and over and I helped him kind of learn English. So I thought it was really neat right, And he ended up playing that song as his warm up music.

00:34:46
Speaker 3: That's cool.

00:34:47
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's very cool. I do remember him doing that. I do remember that warm up song. Yeah, obviously sticks and it sticks in my mind. This one is from Xander H Xander Bogerts Xander bogert See thanks for thanks for listening to The Philly Show. Xander Bill Guards. Uh do you guys have a favorite ballpark snack or food? Could be at at Citizens Bank Park or on the road.

00:35:12
Speaker 4: You know, it depends where I am. I've always loved, uh, the in San Francisco, the clam chowder and the bread bro bread ball. I love that. I've always loved the Burger at City Field. They have a really good burger right box with those Nathan's fries. That's pretty good, man. I remember getting some really good fish tacos at Dodger Stadium and looking over and Matt Breen was eating like a beet salad.

00:35:40
Speaker 3: Well, man, he's he's you know, takes care of his body a little bit better. I'm a big fan of the garlic fries in San Francisco. They're spectacular, man, and there those will give you breath forever. You've not kissed your wife for eleven day oh no, but it's well worth it.

00:35:57
Speaker 5: It's well worth it.

00:36:00
Speaker 3: There's a bunch of other foods, you know, every single day when we come riding up that elevator to go to the press box it Citizens Bank Park, and you smell the burgers in there or shake Shack burgers. I don't know how the attendants inside that elevator handle it, because they can rolling through here. Man, the shake Shack burgers that smell is pretty fantastic.

00:36:22
Speaker 4: It's funny when when the ballpark, the new ballpark opened in San Francisco twenty years ago. I was out there the first I guess the Phillies were out there the first year it opened. And sitting in that front row tod in the press box, you know, and there's two old there's two old time scouts sitting up behind me in that third row. And I hear them talking and he's like, one of the guys goes, you know, he used to go to Candlestick Park and all you smelled was marijuana. You come here and all you smell is garlic. That is great.

00:36:56
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh.

00:36:57
Speaker 3: For me, I would say, at Citizens Bank.

00:37:01
Speaker 2: Park, the Federal Donuts chicken sandwich to me is yeah, I love the Federal Donuts chicken sandwich. That's I'm a big Federal Donuts guy. You can get the donuts there, chicken sandwich. And then on the road, Man, there's there's a lot of good foodball parks. At City Field, they had that Pat Lafrida's steak sandwich. That's really good. They have Mamas of Corona like the hogi that they sell. Yeah, that's right down the street from from City Field. Uh, that that is great. A lot of I mean, there's a lot of great stuff. How about the just the for me being a Milwaukee guy, the brats and the Polar sausages.

00:37:41
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, really good.

00:37:42
Speaker 2: Really yeah. An American family field, those are tremendous.

00:37:47
Speaker 3: Speaking of dogs, how about the about the Dodger dog. The dogs outstanding. And I will say that Dave Nebowski yesterday was you know, they have pretty good spread there in l A.

00:37:57
Speaker 5: But he said, hey, man, gotta have a Dodger dog.

00:38:00
Speaker 3: We're here and we're here in LA So he fired one down, had it all doctored up nicely.

00:38:06
Speaker 5: But they're really terrific.

00:38:07
Speaker 4: Well, you've got to put a lot of sludge on that thing. Whatever they got, you throw it on there.

00:38:13
Speaker 3: You're you're big on that.

00:38:15
Speaker 2: I know that, so Brett Brett Mathis wants to know. I asked a couple of questions, is it a World Series or bust type of season? But I thought this one might be interesting as well. What's your favorite what's everyone's favorite part about their job? It's kind of a big question.

00:38:32
Speaker 4: Oh ahead, why don't you lead it off? Todd?

00:38:35
Speaker 3: Favorite part of the job?

00:38:36
Speaker 4: You know?

00:38:37
Speaker 2: For me, of course, it's being being in the ballpark, you know, seeing something new every night and all that. But I think a cool part of the job, Jim, I don't know if I don't know if you feel this way. I don't think it's cheesy or corner or not. But I always think it's kind of cool coming to the ballpark every day, getting the ballpark at two thirty in the afternoon. Some guys are on the field taking early hitting the game day employees are kind of getting the concessions going there. It's there's this kind of this building buzz, there's this building energy, and then of course the ballpark the gates open, right, but you're you're at the ballpark three four, five hours before first pitch, and you don't really know what's going to happen today, and you kind of you kind of you feel something right, and then you do all the game work. You go downstairs, you write your story, good or bad, win or lose or whatever, and then I it's it's also very cool leaving the ballpark at night. Now it's completely dead, silent. I always remember. And why I think of that is I remember the night Cole hambles through his no hitter at Wrigley Field twenty fifteen, last start with the Phillies, crazy game, super fun game, ballpark is electric. Finished my story, and I took the long walk out jim on the on the top there toward the end where the elevators are, and I just looked out and Wrigley Field is completely dark. It's dark outside, just lights shining feel, lights shining the field. Like, man, this is pretty cool. This place is wild about three, you know, two hours ago and now it's completely peaceful, and it's just it was a gorgeous feel, and it's like, this is.

00:40:10
Speaker 3: Kind of a cool job.

00:40:11
Speaker 2: This is kind of a cool job, so that that might be one for me.

00:40:16
Speaker 3: Yeah, Jimmy, how about you.

00:40:17
Speaker 4: I know exactly what you're saying about getting to the ballpark early. There's that serenity. It's quiet, yep, and you can actually get some work done, do your prep. And then people start filling up. Now, players start coming out for you know, they come out and their flip flops to you know, just get the field, maybe do a little stretching, and all of a sudden, the ballpark fills up. It's alive, and then it's quiet again.

00:40:40
Speaker 1: You know.

00:40:41
Speaker 4: My favorite just being around baseball. I've loved it ever my whole life. And just being able to be around the ballpark. You know, honestly, I remember, you know, pulling up to any ballpark and when I see the light towers, I get excited and and you know, just being one of the lures beside love and baseball, one of the lures that grabbed me into this profession was I enjoy storytelling. I enjoy reading a great story. I enjoy telling a great story. I wanted to do that, and just being able to tell a great story and feel like you did it well is my favorite part of the job and the best part of the job. Telling a story about the player as a human being or the club executive as a human being. What makes that human being tick because you know, they're all human beings. The player is just part of the human being. And that's always been very satisfying for me.

00:41:40
Speaker 3: Well. I mean, as most people know, I grew up in baseball as my father. But I think back my favorite parts of, you know, being involved in baseball, not just being a Major League Baseball player. But I remember when I was a GM, I would park underneath. I would walk up to the concourse level and before anything was going on. It was sake eight thirty or nine in the morning, and you know, they're cleaning up from the night before, and I would just grab a seat right there, probably usually around the first baseline, and grab a seat in the stadium in the ballpark it says as a Bank park. When I was a GM, and I would sit there and think to myself, Oh my god, how crazy is it? Did I get to run this organization's baseball department? And I never took that for granted. I did that almost every day when we were at home. I would sit there and just you know, suck it all in.

00:42:29
Speaker 5: It was.

00:42:30
Speaker 3: It was very gratify. It makes me emotional. One of the other my favorite things to do was to watch the fanatic do his thing before the pre in the pre game, I mean I did it. I watched it as a kid. I watched it. I mean, I you know, it's been going on for years. It's spectacular.

00:42:46
Speaker 5: I think about that as a moment for.

00:42:48
Speaker 3: Me, and I will also say you working and being back with the Phillies in this role as a broadcaster, analyst, et cetera. For me to be it's almost like, you know, I'm living the really truly live in the dream because I get to I get to talk about my favorite sport and my favorite team that I was so involved in and messed with, and I get to be around the people that I that were my colleagues. I get to work with you guys. I get to be around the people that I've really enjoyed and grown up to and grown to know. And then I get to play golf because I don't have to worry about as many as much about the wins and losses, and I could just try to just try to enjoy the game and the people that are involved in it.

00:43:33
Speaker 2: Absolutely, that's a great place to end. That was fun and thanks for Thanks to everybody that send in these questions. We had a bunch more, but we can't have the show go three hours. I think that would be a little bit next time, Yeah, next time. Yeah, but we'll we'll, we'll try to do more of these. I think people enjoy that. And Phillies Dodgers Tonight, Phillies can win their first series since they swept the Dodgers last month. So let's see what happens.

00:43:59
Speaker 3: Tyler Phillips bounce, step forward, Bounce bound.

00:44:02
Speaker 2: Tyler, bounce back Bay Games. All right, we'll be back later this week. Thanks guys, smell.

00:44:08
Speaker 4: Your leader, boys, Small Jim.

00:44:15
Speaker 7: This is the Philly Show. If you haven't already, please subscribe to The Phillies 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 Valley Forge 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 Ruben's analysis during before and after Phillies games on NBC Sports Philadelphia on the Sports Radio ninety four WIP Morning show and MLB Network Rejim at the Allcity Network at allphl y dot com. Find more of me at MLB dot com, the Philliesbewsletter, and occasionally on MLB Network Hm