High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 1: Go Birds?

Episode Date: November 1, 2023

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz try to cope after the Phillies loss to the Diamondbacks. Presented by Miller Lite. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All-star closer, Kenley Jansen, we have a question. What's the best podcast of all time? Baseball Isn't Boring, baby. I'm Rob Bradford, and every single day I'm sitting down with the biggest names to show you this great game is the greatest game. It's my podcast. It's my passion. It's a cause I started more than two years ago and is now the most prolific national daily baseball pod there is.

Another fact, so jump aboard the B.I.B. Express. Follow and listen to Baseball Isn't Boring, presented by Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. So, like, you know, like, the Eagles looked great on Sunday. Do not care about the defense ever. I did not even expect Eagles to be set on this podcast. Well, no, like, I do want to express.

You're trying, you're trying. Well, what I want to express is this, is that I pretty much put my hopes and dreams on the Eagles winning the Super Bowl this year. So you will hear no more negativity from me on the football team. I don't care anymore. Like, I don't. You are broken. Oh, totally broken.

I got nothing left. I got nothing left. I got nothing left. Yeah. Like I, I, I, I, I,

you will not find a bigger Eagles fan than me for the next, for the next six months, four months. There's nothing you could have said that would have made me more concerned about your mental health than that. I mean, that's like, if you had said this exact phrase,

I'm dead inside, that would have been you had said this exact phrase, I'm dead inside. That would have been less impactful to me than you saying, you know, go birds, essentially. So, yeah. Well, the good part is, is if I said I was dead inside, then you like you wouldn't be that concerned about me. No, I would. It's what I was expecting, honestly. It would just be. It's way more than i was expecting no i've thought about this a lot because i knew the first thing you would say

is how you're doing so i'm just laying out exactly how i'm doing um like the eagles the eagles mean so much to me right now what is going on they do no like they they the eagles mean i can't tell if this is just pure or if you you're serious. There's no bit. There's no bit. What's happening? I need someone to win a freaking championship. I am so. What happened in game six and seven is one of the top five worst sports things that ever happened to me in my entire life.

I'm so sick and tired of being close but no cigar like i just want the cigar like i i i need the cigar and i think the eagles are my my best chance of that so wow like i i i bits aside no more bits it's time to get down to business i'm very concerned about you dude dude i don't think so like if we could just do a if we could just break down this podcast from a hole we can't go we can't go a week without recording ever again after they lose game six and seven because like all i've been doing is cooped up inside is like attempting to smile when people tell me like like dude so many people said oh

how you doing how you doing it's like awful man awful like i'll make a cute little joke if that's what you want me to do if you want me to be a clown i'll be a clown but like i just i shut up just shut leave me alone just leave i want everyone to leave me alone i leave me you don't care as much as i care and i know that sounds gatekeepy but like i like i promise you don't care as much as i care please leave me alone please let me go on my life please let me just enjoy something again let me feel something again go birds wow so so the answer to how you doing way worse than i thought thank you way way way that was the goal yeah that was the goal you just went go birds on me i mean well i mean welcome you know nice to have you it's good you

know the eagles are a winning team nice to see um. Honestly, I'm kind of like Flummox. I don't even know how to respond to that. This is not what I was expecting at all. I was handing out candy tonight. And the guy goes like, he's like, he walks up with him and his kid. Very nice. No issues at all. But then he goes, ah, he's a Phils fan.

It's like, buddy, you don't know me okay like it's not it's not it's not just being a phillies fan it's not i promise you i watched about 200 phillies game this year if you want to combine postseason spring training regular season like this is it's a problem it is currently what i'm dealing with yeah so i i saw my um i guess he'd be like 72 73 range uh father-in-law i thought i was gonna say your brother no a good one yeah nailed it you're see you're still on point you're still you uh so going out for halloween went to my mom's and went trick or treat it was freaking awesome you know it was always adorable at the best time we stopped at my father-in-law's on the way out there.

He lives near there. And, and we're talking about the Phil's. He's a huge Phillies fan. Like just, he's a baseball guy, like a fricking sabermetrics nerd baseball guy. Like loves numbers,

loves the whole thing. And he, and he is not, he is a very stoic guy. Like he is not someone who really lets you know how he's feeling he said to me and i quote this is the worst loss of my life awesome good i was he was 13 and 64 he's like yeah that was really tough i was 13 he's like this is worse and i'm like great terrific he's talking about 77 he's talking about black friday he's talking 13, he's like, this is worse. And I'm like, great. Terrific.

He's talking about 77. He's talking about Black Friday. He's talking about 64. He's like, you know what? Black Monday. Excuse me. Thank you. He's like, you know what?

He's like, this is worse. This is worse. He said it was worse, Jack. So, yeah. I think we're all kind of there right now. Good. Good. No, this is. Being like we're up 2-0 and then 3-2 at home.

And I'm like. Yeah. I know. So, first off... It's being like we were up 2-0 and then 3-2 at home. And I'm like, thanks, Len. I know. So first off, shout out to Len. Shout out to Len. Yes. Cheers for you, Len. Yeah.

Again, if you're looking for a podcast where we were over it, I don't think that's happening. If you were trying to get your spirits spirits lifted no interest no interest i no you know what i need this podcast because i i want this podcast to just punch me down down down further and further because i haven't like i swear to you james like you are you are much better this is this is a like you are you are much better. This is a credit to you. You are much better at just letting it all out. Right. Like you'll you'll let it out.

Yes. You don't need to wonder where I'm at or know how I'm feeling. I'm going to let you know. Yeah. Right. You no problem letting it out. You are emotional, sometimes overly emotional. And you will tell. Many times. So many times. So many times. Yeah. Yeah. no problem letting it out. You are emotional, sometimes overly emotional,

and you will tell. Many times, yes. So many times. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Me, me, a little different. I keep everything inside until it bursts. Well, it's Halloween. I've been handing out candy for two hours.

I've been not talking specifically about the Phillies because I don't want to talk about the Phillies. I was like when we started at the bottom, I got nothing I want to say about this team. I got a lot. I have a lot that I need to get off my chest. And I think the main thing that I just, the message, I guess, if I could, that I would like to send is that for the rest of my life. Oh, God. Oh, God.

And as I raise Walker and my future children, and as I attempt to move on from this, and as I evolve as a human being, I will need it explained to me like a freaking toddler as to how you win a game 6-1 on the road in game 5 and then just fold in game 6 and 7 at home against an 84-win baseball team who had no business even being on the same field as you. I don't know how. I know a lot about baseball.

I know how baseball works. I know a lot about baseball. I know how baseball works. I know what works, what doesn't work, who matters, who doesn't. I, for the life of me, will never, ever, ever be able to get over completely folding in games six and seven. It is dumbfounding. It is dumbfounding to the 10th degree how this baseball team, which now everyone's got jokes. Oh, they're so funny.

Oh, Heimlich maneuver. Oh, they're just chokers. You put us through that. You. And now we have to live with it. we have to joke like we have to live with it like they did they 100% like oh they didn't choke it's like yeah we choked like yep i'll eat it i got nothing i got no response that other than like yeah you feel better now you made fun of me cool i'm broken thank you it's great it's just what's just what I needed. I didn't know. I didn't know that my freaking team

choked. So thank you for reminding me for a laugh. I really appreciate it. Hey, fantasy football owners. The road to winning your fantasy football championship starts now. I'm Matt Harmon from Reception Perception. Join me and James Coe as we take a deep dive into the position that's going to make or break

your fantasy roster. Wide receivers. We analyze route running, target share, and all the position that's going to make or break your fantasy roster. Wide receivers. We analyze route running, target share, and all the metrics that matter, giving you the insights you need to draft the best wide receivers. As you prep for your draft, let us give you the coverage you need. Follow and listen to Reception Perception on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. I just, I cannot believe that happened. Of all things that have happened sports-wise in my entire life,

you know, things that I expected, things that I didn't expect, that baseball team losing two straight at home to the freaking Diamondbacks is something that I don't think I ever saw coming. I mean, you were speechless there. You didn't know what to say. I never. You were like, what do I say here? It wasn't even something I could possibly compute.

There was no way that team was losing two straight at home. And the fact that we're not getting ready for a game four tonight, the fact that I just hate watching this World Series. I hate it. Oh, you're watching it? I skip. I haven't done it. I've watched it. Oh, you're watching it? I skip. I haven't done it. I've watched it.

Yeah, I've watched it because I need to. You texted me during game one. I was like, nope, not doing it. And I even followed game one as it was happening. I knew how amazing it was. I saw the Seeger-Homer, and I'm like, no. I'm like, no, I'm not turning it on. I could have.

I could have turned it on. I wasn't watching anything. And I was like, no, screw that. I'm out out i'm fully out on this this will be the first world series in my life i'm a thousand years old jack as you love to point out that at least since i remember like i have three four whatever since the 1987 world series which is the first and i remember 86 a little bit but like 87 i really remember watching the twins like i remember that world series. I remember 88, like vividly with her Shizer and the whole thing,

Gibson. Like since then I have never fully missed a world series. Like I've not watched most, like there are a lot where I don't watch all the game, but like I've watched innings. I've watched pitches in a lot of cases, full games in some cases, many cases,

all of the world. This will be the first year in my life, Jack, that I will not watch one freaking minute. I will not watch one freaking pitch of the World Series. I'm just not going to do it. Like, I'm not. For the first time in my life, I can't do it. I'm out.

I'm out. So, believe me, buddy, I wish I had your strength. I really did. For maybe the first time in my life, I looked to my elders for wisdom. And I think that's you. I just, I have to. Like, I just, I have to watch it. I have to watch it.

I have to eat. I have to beat myself up inside yeah you know like when i guess i'm one of those people that when things get bad i need them to get worse um and i just i need to feel it like i just evelyn gloria struck out oh of course he did because he sucks and i can't believe he does anything oh corbin carroll struck out in the eighth that's awesome that's great that's so cute oh you gave christian walker a standing ovation oh i'm so happy for you oh cattell marte oh he's still great awesome oh you mean to tell me zach allen went to five and was great oh oh meryl kelly dominated great oh brand Fod allowed a home run to Corey Seager.

Can't relate. Can't relate. I hate it. I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate this World Series more than anything I've experienced. We should be there. We should be doing. We should be 15 minutes into game four right now. I don't know how the game would go.

I don't know how the series would go. Getting't know the series would go getting back to the world series is at least a success this isn't a success this is this is oh it's a massive failure i mean it's not just they didn't get back like it's how they didn't get back i mean there's no other way to put it i knew everything was lined up that was something i was talking to led about tonight he's just like he's like i just he's like i can't i can't figure it out he's like it was all in front of him he's like it was laid out he's like it couldn't they beat the braves they had the diamond backs they're up two oh they're up three two like how did this happen how and that's how that's i feel like it's hard to like move past it because it's hard to actually process that it really happened. Yes.

Correct. Like it couldn't have happened. Correct. There's no better way to explain it then again. And maybe we should have, we should have Len co-host with us. Love it. Yeah.

I have, I was alive for, I was alive for O2. I was alive for, I was alive for O2. I was alive for Rondé Barber. I was alive for most of the heartbreaking moments people bring up. I was not alive for 93. I was not alive for Joe Carter. It's, I mean, it's just, it's just right at the top. I mean, it's 100% right at the top. It's that bad, and it's that embarrassing. Disappointing.

You start thinking about the moments, right? And you start thinking about, like, the frick are you bringing Craig Kimbrell in again for? Like, why would you do that? Why? You start thinking about, like, I don't know. I think Kimbrel, if you're looking at, like, 10 years from now, you know, the thing that people are going to be the most mad at, I think Kimbrel's.

It's Kimbrel. Number one, because Rob Thompson will have a World Series title by then. It's Kimbrel. Like what you did there. I just, I can't. Like, I, this is going to sound, I know this is going to sound like snobby and whatever. I physically cannot dumb myself down enough to, like, be super mad at Rob Thompson. Like, you're smart enough. Our listeners are smart enough.

We don't have to dumb ourselves down and be like well i mean he made a mistake he made a mistake but he made a really good manager who the dude has been to the world series in the nlcs in his two years as manager like yeah he can keep managing my team that's the way i look at it like if his if his main problem is that he's loyal to guys i think that think from it too, like it, like the way he talked afterwards, like it really sounded like he was like,

I screwed up. I totally agree. He was very blunt about it. And he was basically like, yeah, like, you know, certain decisions I made,

if I were there again, like I probably wouldn't make that decision. Like he was very blunt.