High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - If We Can’t Go Through this Together, Why Go Through it at All?

Episode Date: December 8, 2020

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz are back with a new High Hopes pod discussing the newest disappointments in an already infuriating Phillies offseason. The guys discuss the Zack Wheeler fiasco, the latest on the President/GM search, and much more. 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

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Jack, you might not know this. It is sad news for the High Hopes community. The High Hopes Podcast is struggling. Jack, we actually lost $2 billion this year, it turns out. $2 billion. You might ask, how could a podcast lose that much money well somehow it happened jack we lost two billion dollars this year james i would trade you for babe ruth um i don't know about zach wheeleler, but I would trade you for Babe Ruth. Oh, man. What happened to our franchise, Jack? Where did we go from starting a podcast called High Hopes? Because legitimately, we had real high hopes about this franchise

and the chances and the potential for the future and where it was headed. this franchise and the chances and the potential for the future and where it was headed. And it's like, man, like John Middleton is, has broken my soul, Jack. Yeah,

he's, he's broken mine too. And it's just like, we talked about this a good amount, but like when we started this podcast, it was like, Hey, the affiliate story,

sleeping giant, like finally the team that we love hey, the Phillies are a sleeping giant. Finally, the team that we love is starting to turn the corner a little bit. It feels like this team is kind of starting to round the form a little bit. They have a lot of money. They weren't drafting that well, it didn't look like. But it turns out they had no idea what they were doing. And I guess not much money, apparently. Yeah, apparently.

I mean. Who knew? So, you know, I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, like, that the $2 billion thing was taken out of context, right? I mean, it would be insane. It would be insane to say that. Well, considering the franchise is worth $2 billion, yeah, that would be really insane to say that you lost the franchise is worth two billion yeah that would be really insane to say that you lost the value of your franchise i mean it's it's beyond insane it's it's it's just it's it's ridiculous on every level yeah i mean it is ridiculous on every level and

like i just i i can't believe we're at this point with this baseball team, but like, I can't even get excited about any free agent that becomes available like ever, you know? And it's, I see that. I see that the, the, the non tender deadline passes and Vinny Velo's back,

baby. One more year. Yeah. More year. Is it? They really have sucked. You're right. They've sucked all the excitement out of the off season.

I mean, you watch like Charlie the excitement out of the offseason. I mean, you watch like Charlie Morton sign with the Braves. You watch the Angels trade less for Rysell Iglesias than Matt Klintak traded for Brandon Workman and Heath Embry. I mean, it's just super depressing. They've really sucked the joy out of this team. And look, there's so much to get into with this team and all the ridiculous stuff but why don't we start the wheeler thing because you brought it up because i do think it's symptomatic of everything that you know the the buster only puts out the report that the phillies are open to trading zach wheeler of course just signed him

last offseason and and then john middleton comes out and not only denies it, but says, as Jack alluded to, says, I wouldn't trade Zach Wheeler for Babe Ruth, which is, I mean, just, like, dude, everything this guy says is so ridiculous. It's so over the top and stupid. Like, first and foremost, I'm sure that your team was listening

offers that for zach wheeler guess what every gm on every team listens to offers for anybody and you're the guy who set up this situation where you're telling people around the league that you're financially insolvent and this team is in such trouble like what do you expect people to do if you're sending signals around the league, which has been reported by Rosenthal, Olney, everybody, that you're sending signals around the league that you can't afford this team

and gotta be cost-cutting and you actually did lay off a bunch of people so that is a concrete thing that people can look at, of course they're gonna call about Zach Wheeler. Of course they're gonna say, hey, if you don't want to pay him, we'll take him off your hands. Like, I'm just so frustrated by this, Jack. My only hope, honestly, is that we can bully him into spending money.

That feels like what happened here. You know, it gets out there about the Wheeler thing, and also it's a freaking, I talk about a meltdown like an absolute like for a saturday morning to get or sunday morning to get as meltdowny as that was and the eagles hadn't even played yet was unbelievable um and and then like on one hand it still gives me hope because like it's such a shame because i i genuinely believe that that that Philly's fans are great. And they care about this team. And they just feel like they're being lied to.

At least that's what I feel like. I just feel like I'm being lied to. And I feel like I baseball team, who we invest a lot of time in, think about a lot, all this stuff, they finally signed a guy like Bryce Harper. It puts the first jolt of energy into a franchise since 2011, since the great years. They actually do well in signing Zach Wheeler. They have a pretty good one-two punch in Nola and Wheeler. Like, to just kind of throw in the towel, it's just so annoying.

It's so annoying. It's embarrassing, too. Let's call it what it is. It's an embarrassment. They spent five years building up this, and this guy comes out and says, you know, bring the bleeping trophy back or die trying and stupid money, and there's all this stuff.

Like, it's an embarrassment. Like, you're right. It's a lie. They flat-out lied to us, but on top of that, it's an embarrassment. You spent five years wasted, wasted, and now we're in the exact same position we were in before,

except we got a couple players on the team who were better like it's it's a an absolute disaster from an organizational management perspective it's an embarrassment well and they clearly only care about saving money and they only they only care about the bottom line they don't really care about winning um and and or fans or fans oh right or fans on a basic ultimately ultimately they're choosing they're choosing to cut payroll because of the failures of their own organization and ultimately that's just going to hurt the fans in the end because the fans are gonna be the ones they're gonna just be left kind of feeling awful about where their baseball team is i I mean, think about it.

Since they can't draft and develop, and since they're not close to being a World Series contender, the punishment is that they have to trade Zach Wheeler. They're thinking about trading Zach Wheeler. He's on the table in moves because he's their second highest paid player. It's just insane. It's just insane. And I thought we were past the, the days of, oh, we're a small market team and we've got to think like a small market team,

like Bill Giles said back in the day, I thought we were past that. And I thought, I just had such a, such a hope that, that John Middleton was going to be different. And that, you know, honestly, like the, the feeling that Mets fans feel right now with Steve Cohen is how we used to be with John Middleton. And it just all feels like one big, one big lie. The whole, the whole, the last four years just feel like a total lie. And it kind of all culminated with the, with the, just the Wheeler idea of trading him. Like you're going to, you're going to tear down a year after signing Zach Wheeler and two years after signing

bryce harper that's your that's your grand plan because you want to save some money and like like again again like if you're that again if you're that freaking worried about money then sell the team sell the team like just just seriously just sell the team if you're that worried about money 100 you have no business owning a baseball team if you're if you're if you're trading away a guy that you just paid 100 million dollars to a year before and you're trying to win and you're going to sell them a year later because you can't afford to pay them quote unquote which you obviously can't afford to pay them then just sell the team you have no business owning a baseball team you have no business owning a baseball team if you're not going to keep a guy like zach wheeler around to help make your team semi-competitive in the next couple years,

they might not be great. They might not get there. I mean, they're probably not a World Series contender. But, like, he was a guy you got right. He was a guy that your moronic front office finally got right. Seriously, like, what is the point of you owning this baseball team? Listen, there will be people lining up to buy the Phillies. There will be people lining up out the wazoo to buy the Phillies.

And if you can't afford to keep a guy like Zach Wheeler around, then just sell the team. And if you're not going to pay on JT Real Muto, you're not going to do all this stuff. You're not going to pay for your player development staff. If you're not going to do the things it takes to win because of a pandemic, then just sell the team. Just sell the team.

There is a lot of teams. The Phillies are acting like they are the only team that has been affected by the pandemic, and it is disgusting. It really is. It is totally and utterly embarrassing for a top five market to be treated like this. I can't just sit by and be like oh this is fine like whatever like i understand it's a business dude baseball i understand the sports are a business but at the same time like it is entertainment and you got

into this to to win and and bring championships here and fill the stadium and all this stuff and for you to sit there and be like oh well you know i told my front office that we need to start shedding some salary because we had one down here in which again they didn't lose any money they just didn't get the money that they thought they were gonna get like that's that's the the freaking stupid they've lost 145 million is just total crap it is total crap it's not real again it's not real like none of this is real man like whatever well well no no no because i i think you hit on something super important there the idea that you're exactly right like he's talking about like oh we're losing all his money it's like no you're just not making the hundreds of millions of dollars you make

every single year and you want to talk about real, talk about your fans who are going through a pandemic, who many have lost their jobs, who many of are actually in financial destitution or in financial trouble and all that. And you're crying about this. You're crying about hundreds of millions and billions of dollars and unable to, again, to your point, Jack, and this is something that I've said hundreds of times on this pod and other pods over the years, but it's one of my core tenets as a sports fan, one of my core beliefs is that an owner of a franchise has a responsibility to his fan base, a responsibility to do everything within his power to try and win, to try and put an entertaining product out, to try and do what is right for the fans and for the

team. Again, like owners come and go. Fan bases are forever. Like my father was a Philadelphia sports fan. His father was. My daughter will be, her kids will be, like, it is generational, it is for life, it is, it is what we who go to work every day and, and, and slog through life and all that, spend our, choose to spend our money and our time on, Jack, like, that is a, a, a powerful thing, and for this guy to sit there and act like it's his it's his like a business thing that like you know it's all about the bottom line and it's about making money and and can you tell me how many fans we're gonna have in the stadium when when they're legions and generations of fans who haven't seen a playoff team in a decade what's about to be a decade jack without

a playoff team a decade in philadelphia and to be a decade, Jack, without a playoff team, a decade in Philadelphia, and you're one of the five top markets in the sport, and you're gonna cry poor when every single one of your fans is struggling so much more than you are, and they're still supporting your team? Like, honestly, Jack, it's the kind of thing where it's not in my DNA.

I can't do it. I am who I am, but I wanna root for another team. Like, that's Jack, it's the kind of thing where it's not in my DNA. I can't do it. I am who I am. But I want to root for another team. Like, that's how I feel. I feel like this guy doesn't deserve me as a fan. He doesn't deserve us as fans. That's honestly how I feel about John Middleton and the Philadelphia Phillies right now. Well, I know you just said that, but I do genuinely believe, like, we're not going anywhere.

Like, this is not something that we're just going to go away. Well, of course. Yeah, I'm not saying I'm going to. I wish I could. I feel like I deserve a new team. That's what I'm trying to say. I can't believe we're at this point, two years after the Harper signing. It's horrendous.

It's disastrous. It's such an embarrassment. Like, this guy has submarine our team yeah with a with a self-imposed self-imposed uh you know cap which is which is insanity um and yeah i i don't really have anything else to add to it you know i i saw the news on saturday and you know a lot of people were like oh how mad are you or all this stuff and honestly it's more just like I'm genuinely sad like I'm genuinely sad that we're at this point where you know Zach Wheeler was a godsend for this team and I know I know he came out and

said whatever um but and ultimately that just tanked whatever was going on anyway. Like, even if they want to shed salary, like you can't really shed salary or you can't really shed Wheeler's contract anymore. Well, not yet. Once the owner comes out and says, I wouldn't trade him for Babe Ruth, well, unless you're getting Babe Ruth,

or unless you're getting, sorry, better than Babe Ruth back, you can't trade him. Yeah. I mean, every time he opens his mouth, it's always a mistake. It's detrimental. It's detrimental to the team every time. If he just went away and stopped talking and just spent money, everything would be so much better.

But, again, like this comes – No crap. I know. I know. But this just comes back to, again, like the affiliates are the only thing that, I think there's only business venture. Like, I mean, he doesn't really have anything else. He sold a cigar company.

I mean, this is pretty much it. And when they don't get the expected revenue that they thought they were going to get, then I guess this is, like, again, we have to pay for this. I mean, we have to pay for them not getting the revenue that they were expecting to get. I'm not going to call it they're losing money. It's the revenue that they weren't expecting. They're not. Exactly.

And on top of that, Jack, as we pointed out, many, many, many times during the whole labor strife stuff that was going on during the coronavirus pandemic, the early part of it when we didn't know if we were going to have baseball or not and all that let's not forget that these are whatever numbers are claimed we can't verify because they won't prove it in actuality we have no bleeping idea what he lost what he didn't lose they might be making money like legitimately we have no idea none because they will not open the books and show people like flat out it's what it is so yeah i i don't believe a single word that comes out of that guy's mouth when it comes to financial problems in the philadelphia phillies not one word and ultimately it comes down and the thing that i keep coming

back to and i think the thing that that bothers me the most is that um they they care more about the bottom line than they do winning. And I just think that's ridiculous, given what we've had to go through for the last nine years. Well, and also, also, Jack, ridiculous considering what this guy said. Like, you don't go in and sit with Angelo and spend an hour talking about you want to be Simon of the South and you want to bring the Bleepin' trophy back

and you're going to do whatever the hell it takes to bring that trophy back to Philadelphia, and then be this guy? Like, look, if you don't ever come out and make those bold proclamations and don't say what a big, you know what you're going to be and how badass you are and all that, and how you're going to bring winning back to Philadelphia, if you don't go out and say that, then guess what? There's no expectation to be held to. Like, we'll still be mad. We'll still be disappointed. But we won't have your words to throw in your face.

Right now, this guy's words can and should be thrown in his face because he's the one who made those proclamations. And now he's the one who's literally going against exactly what he said. And it's his choice, Jack. Yes. Yes.

Yes, yes, yes, yes. All right, let's move on to Middleton. We have nothing else to say. Let's talk about some other sad stuff that happened. Oh, is there more? Is there more sadness? I don't know. Like, Jack, let's be real.

You and I see each other every day at work. There are very, very rare moments in those moments when we are together or when we're talking or whatever, when we actually feel hope and joy and excitement about the Phillies. There was like an hour and a half stretch maybe or so where we thought Thad Levine was a real chance. And we were like, oh, man, let's go. All right, it's not Chernoff.

It's not Theo. It's not Neander. But you know what? If we come out of this abyss, this darkness, this horror show, this haunted house that we just went through with Thad Levine, okay, I'm cool. And then that was it. It was a beautiful few hours.

The 12 hours of the Thad Levine is going to be the Phillies president. I was like the single most hope I've had since like 2019 opening day, I want to say. I hadn't really felt that level of emotion towards the Phillies in a while. felt i hadn't really felt that level of emotion towards the phillies in a while and it's because thad levine is like would have been perfect for this franchise again like i actually think i like him more than than theo um but obviously if they weren't gonna get neander they weren't gonna get turn off like levine was the perfect guy that made sense he's the gm in minnesota uh minnesota has taken a really good step forward

when it comes to um slug and power pitching and all that fun stuff like they're they're turning into a modern franchise and he was a classic he was he is classic gm into president like a gm for a good amount of time built something up and then goes and takes a president's job. And honestly, it's kind of damning that he didn't take the job. I mean, I know Andy McPhail is thrilled because he can say that he didn't want to uproot during a pandemic. But really, like, Levine should be here. And I know he turned on the Mets, which is saying something. I mean, the Mets are a more desirable job than the Phillies at this point.

But Levine should be here. He really should be here because he's the guy that you say, all right, whatever it takes, come in and run my franchise. Because ultimately, and this is what I think Middleton has to learn and understand is that you hire a guy like Thad Levine, you hire a guy like Epstein, Neander, all this stuff, and then you just get out of the way just get out of the way owners that try to do too much don't win and they don't win big you know they might have they'll sprinkle in success here and there unless they're spending a crap ton of

money like they just don't win they don't win meddling owners don't win and i don't know why he's so obsessed with being a meddling owner um i don't know why he's so obsessed with being a meddling owner um i don't know why he's so obsessed with having his fingerprints all over this franchise just go spend the money on fab levine and everything's fine you know um so it was a really hopeful little bit there and i was like oh are they actually gonna get this right after the dread of the whole rest of the offseason? Turns out they didn't, which is unfortunate, but it was just nice to feel something for a little bit there. Yeah, it was nice to remember what that hope was.

Thad Levine from here as well. But look, I mean, let's be real, Jack. Did it take you long to figure out why Thad Levine turned the job down or took himself out of it? I mean, I think it was pretty clear to me he had a meeting with John Middleton, and he was like, all right, screw that. I ain't working for this guy. I don't want to work for this guy.

I mean, what else could it be, him and McPhail? I mean, Thad Levine was in the running, in the job, presumably spoke to John Middleton or Amy McPhail, and then was like, all right, I'm out. I don't want it anymore. So whatever they said to john middleton or amy feldman was like all right i'm out i don't want it anymore so whatever they said to him one way or another however they conveyed themselves or whatever they implied the job to be or whatever i mean certainly made dad levine not interested anymore he was interested one minute he's not interested the next what happened in that well maybe other than talking to john middleton well or maybe they you know um he's sorry we're willing to here here's what i can offer you

peace click okay thanks yeah that's possible too and uh and like hey uh we gotta shed salary i don't know if that's part of the the fun job requirements but when you get here we're gonna shed some salary okay so we're gonna want you to trade Zach Wheeler, trade Bryce Harper, trade Aaron Nola. When you do all this stuff, pretend that you did it without the owner's approval. And the owner can say, oh, he never would have done it, but I guess it's done. And then he'll look back later and say it was all your fault, not his fault. That sounds good. Let's go with that.

I like that. It's a good. All right. And then we're going to pretend that a manager is gonna add 10 wins all right so because that's how this all works so burns hill those guys look like i guess the two you know potential front runners if we can even say there's a front runner i mean ken rosenthal wrote a scathing piece about the phils today uh and said you know he's not even sure that they're actually going to hire someone still like we're back to that whole narrative um rosenthal there was a

hammer line there he called it puzzling this whole puzzling episode um you know just kind of as every national writer is plugged in to seem to do is just crush this whole philly search this whole philly situation. Burns Hill, where are you at? Do you think that's real? Do you think those are the most likely guys? And where do you stand? So I've done, of course, because I have to get excited about something, a lot of research on where we're at. And so so let me just get this out there now um because i'm excited to talk about these guys i'm excited like i know i know the team's has been tearing us down and they don't really make us feel any hope or anything anymore um but get just let me just have my little bit of

of hope here with my presidential or my president um potential hirings like let me just talk myself into josh burns or michael hill because it's nice to it's nice to feel a little bit of hope um so i i would i would genuinely be fine with either i honestly and i know like this isn't what we do james i mean mean, in our everyday life, it's important to have a take on anything. I would just be fine with either, and I don't have a take on who I want over the other. Every day it feels like I go back and forth. I think I'd slightly prefer Hill, but I'm with you.

Neither is super compelling. You know, Burns just – like he's been a GM twice already. It just feels like, all right,, what are we getting new this time? I don't know. At least Hill there feels like there's some upside there. Either way, this whole search has really – we were so – of all the horrible things that this Phillies franchise has done to us, I think ruining our excitement about the gm search might be the worst

yeah and like they didn't even they barely even let us enjoy the clintac reassignment they didn't even fire him like they're they moved now he's still there like they put ned rice in charge like it's they didn't even do that again like we joked about it but in all reality steve cohen came in and axed like the entire front office in like an hour and and middleton couldn't even fire clint tack it's so embarrassing so back to josh burns and and michael hill so so i think that the thing for me with burns that might have me leaning in his direction is that like andrew friedman when and within the dodgers organization um burns is did have a higher position than farhan when he was there and i don't think that burns is as good as Farhan. I think Farhan's great. That's not totally my point.

But when Farhan moved on to the Giants and became their president, and by the way, I mean, talk about being a couple years too late, like being able to steal Farhan from the Dodgers. I know. Such a steal. Anyway, when Farhan moved on, a lot of people in the Dodgers media thought that Burns would jump up or whatever and take whatever Farhan was doing. And, you know, I guess Friedman talked and he, I mean,

he decided that he wanted to keep him close to scouting and player development. Like he valued what he did in that role so much that he didn't want to move him from that role. And if you know anything about the Dodgers, I mean, the Dodgers are a player development and scouting machine. I mean, that's what they do. They consistently have a top five minor league system

on top of a loaded major league roster, and they always churn out talent, and it seems like they get the most out of their talent. So that, that would make me excited about Burns. Um, just like seeing how the Dodgers operated and seeing how Friedman operated. And he's been there for six years now,

seven years now. Um, so you'd think he, he, he would learn a thing or two and he's not, he's not a, he's a, he's a sharp guy.

This isn't like, this isn't like Jim Hendry working under Brian Cashman no no and I certainly didn't mean to imply that no no no but like like it's not like Jim Hendry like Jim Hendry is a is a moron working under Brian Cashman like definitely just getting his coffee whereas Josh Burns is legitimately running their player development and scouting and um, um, you know, the, the diamondbacks thing, like kind of fell apart because he hired AJ Hinch to be his manager. Um, and AJ Hinch was a player development guy. So he'd never managed before. And then they fired him a year later, um, because he would not fire AJ Hinch. So like that kind of was cut short a little bit, even though he drafted

like Scherzer and Goldschmidt there. Um, and then the Padres, it was like, he was cut short a little bit even though he drafted like scherzer and goldschmidt there um and then the padres it was like he was hired for a year and then they brought a new ownership and they cut off all of his funds like he wasn't able to spend on any free agents so not to say that might not happen here but jack this is a good research by you it's a strong case for eric burns eric josh i remember eric burns he said diamondbacks and it got me thinking eric i spent i spent a long i spent like a whole night on josh it's a strong case you're making a really legitimately compelling case for josh like you're getting me more excited about that idea than i was before okay good this is what

this is listen we gotta give some hope to people james like positivity back buddy everyone listen to the last 23 minutes is like wow this is depressing why am i even listening stay for the josh berns talk anyway um he so so with the padres he was there for a year and they literally capped like the biggest money he spent on a free agent i think was like 20 million for carlos quinton um so wasn't able to do anything there um wasn't able to really spend any money they drafted some talent but nothing that's gonna make you like nothing's gonna knock your socks off and what the Padres have done recently is just insane yeah AJ Preller has really done a nice job yeah yeah so um you know like ultimately I think if they hire Josh Burns,

he would be a really good player development scouting guy. Oh, and then his first draft with the Dodgers, I mean, he goes Walker Bueller first round, Cody Bellinger second round, third round? Is that good? No, second, yeah, because it was nappy. Yeah, nappy. Is that good? Is that a good first year fix?

Right, right right and then 2016 he drafted lux and dustin may jack i i'm this is good yeah so i i i i don't want to like oversell him that he'd be this like unbelievable hire but i do think it because believe me my first instinct when it was like josh burns seems like he's gonna be the guy like he's getting a second interview my first thing to think was like Josh Burns seems like he's going to be the guy, like he's getting a second interview, my first instinct was like, oh, he failed with the Diamondbacks and failed with the Padres, and that was kind of just like getting coffee for Andrew Friedman. And then I started digging a little bit deeper into it, and I was like, no. I mean, the Dodgers are a player development machine, and he was kind of overseeing the whole operation there. Smart guy.

Worked under Theo in Boston. Theo praised his scouting and all that stuff. Loves to have his hands on things. I guess I read something that he just is so super detail-oriented when it comes to scouting guys, which I love. And I genuinely believe that if he was the president, I think he'd do really well when it comes to drafts and, and, and being able to kind of cultivate a staff. Seems like a great guy from everything I've heard. Um, he would need, I think he would need a GM that is forward-thinking data-driven that would help them a lot with like free agents, bargains and trades. I think I trades not great for me. Um, but when it comes to overseeing, overseeing organization,

getting talent in there and just kind of doing the right things, you know, again, my main point with with Burns is that Andrew Friedman valued what he did so much with player development and scouting that he did not want to move him from that role. And I think that's important. So that's my main, my main sticking point with Josh Burns. Yeah. Look, dude, that is a compelling stuff. Seriously. That is a, again, you got me more excited for Josh Burns than I had been today. So, um, you know, look, I think it's that this whole search has made it so hard to get excited about anything because it's like, as we said many times, it's like just go get the best guy and give him what it takes. And that's clearly not what they're going to do. So it makes maybe guys who are not the best guys seem even less exciting.

But that's really all compelling stuff with Josh Burns. So some positivity there. I got a couple more things and then we'll see what's in your take bag. there all right i got a couple more things then we'll see what's in your your take bag uh quickly um um it shouldn't have taken us 32 minutes 33 minutes to get to this but um rest in peace dick allen uh really super sad um a should be in the hall of fame i think someday will be in the hall of fame um an all-time great philly i know for, at least like growing up, no joke, the single baseball player, my dad talked about the most was Dick Allen. It wasn't Mike Schmidt. It wasn't Steve Carlton. It wasn't any of the other great Phillies that he saw in his lifetime. Dick Allen was the guy. Like,

he's like, I never saw anyone like him. Like he was obsessed with Dick Allen. So, um, I think Dick Allen, probably one of the most underrated players of all time and certainly the most underrated Philly, I would say. FanDuel Casino's exclusive live dealer studio has your chance at the number one feeling, winning, which beats even the 27th best feeling, saying I do. Who wants this last parachute? I do. Enjoy the number one feeling, winning, in an exciting live dealer studio, exclusively on FanDuel fan duel casino where winning is

undefeated 19 plus and physically located in ontario gambling problem call 1-866-531-2600 or visit connectsontario.ca please play responsibly yeah i mean people it's crazy there's there's so many people today that had said either my dad's their player was Dick Allen or I love Dick Allen. Even Skip Bayless was like, Dick Allen was my guy. And obviously I wish I could have seen him play. And just I think he's – the shame of this whole thing is because Sunday was – if this was a normal year and there wasn't a pandemic going on, he was probably getting inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday, literally yesterday.

It would have been the day for him to finally get into the Hall of Fame. And it's just such BS that it's not going to happen. It's not going to happen this year. And for him not to be able to see himself finally getting into the Hall of Fame, which is something that he should have been in long before, it's just so sad. And I do feel pretty good that the Phillies were able to retire his number last summer, and they were able to kind of honor him in that way, even though he was not a Hall of Famer just yet.

But before he passed on, they were able to give him that kind of ceremony, and that's what he deserved. And just the stories you hear, like no one hit a ball harder than Dick Allen. So, yeah, it was a tough one to see, especially when you factor in that he probably in a normal year would have been elected into the Hall of Fame over the weekend. And it's just, it's just yeah, it's a total shame.

Yeah. 2020 just enough already, man. Enough, enough. It's crazy. I mean, just forgetting all the, you know, so many people who we've lost this year and certainly so many famous people, but like if we just segmented to major league Baseball legends we've lost in 2020. I mean, we've talked about this before, but between Seaver and Gibson and Whitey Ford, it's just been over and over again. It's been a really tough year for baseball legends at Dick Allen, certainly amongst that group. All right, Jack, last thing from me before we get to your take bag. I'm assuming you thought I might have forgot.

I didn't. I didn't. I really did think you forgot i did i did i was like is he gonna is he gonna bring it up or is he not gonna i mean i think i have we never lie to the ios listeners and i i thought i had an obligation to you know bring it up what happened so this is this is this is tough this is tough to get through this is tough to get through um so uh on the marks and reese show which i'm sure everyone on this podcast uh listens to every day hanging on every word just waiting for me to chime in with some dynamite phillies phillies content um yeah so if you listen to marks and reese which is i mean why wouldn't you um and you definitely prefer me producing a show over james um you are uh you you listen on wednesdays at 5 25

you play a fun little game called Stump the Millennial. It is a good game. It's a good game. There is nothing that makes old people happy quite like dumping on millennials. So we leaned into the bit of millennials don't know anything about anything and they're completely worthless to society, all that fun stuff. And I was asked a question as I like to think I'm a baseball guy. You know, I like to think I know the game.

I was asked the question by John Marks, you know, how many games in a row did Joe DiMaggio get a hit? Oh, buddy. And I totally blanked. And by the way, I think it's a total cruel joke by you to make me have to explain this whole thing. Like, you could easily set this up. I know I could.

Like, making me explain this makes it ten times worse. So, yeah. So, I completely blanked on how long joe dimaggio's hit streak was i don't know why i blanked i was having memory issues all of a sudden i started forgetting things last couple weeks i was starting to freak out about it and not really freak out about it i'm being no but you did text me and be like i'm kind of worried yeah dude because i've never forgot i remember almost i remember, especially when it comes to sports. I don't remember dumb things like world history.

Dumb things like world history, yes. When it comes to sports, this is what I'm here for. I'm here to remember baseball stuff, and especially the Majos hitting streak. Well, it's probably number one. I know. I know. I'm well aware it's number one. And I just blanked, man.

Like, I have no other way to explain it besides I just blanked. I guessed 62. I don't know why I guessed 62. He asked the question, and I froze. I absolutely froze. I knew Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 56 games. Like, I knew that in my soul. I knew that Joe Di dimaggio did that and for me to choke like that as a guy that is two and oh in the high school playoffs and largely revered as

one of the clutch pitchers of his generation to come up small in that scenario i don't know if i'll ever forget it i may never live it down and there's people listening that i think value my baseball opinion and the fact that i have to explain it again to a whole host of whole whole host of people that you know i like to think respect my baseball opinion it's not great no and um i had nothing else to say except that I am sorry. And I just totally blanked. You know, it's like when you're asked two plus two and you say five, you know, when it's equal. Like, sometimes the brain just has a lapse. And then I'm getting roasted by Joe DeCamera, which is, like, the worst because DeCamera is such a nerd.

And, like, I would stuff him in a locker if I was in high school. And it's just like you know i i it was a tough day it was a really tough day towards the end of the show and i i just totally blanked here's what i'll say you owned it man you owned it uh credit i i i am guessing the high hopes listeners agree You owned it You screwed up It happens We've all had our moments Our mistakes

That doesn't mean we can't bring it up from time to time And make a little fun of you Because you know It was pretty bad But you owned it So I appreciate that Jack I thought you hit a little like an adult there I mean Spike's threatening me to take me off his podcast.

I know. I heard. I mean, come on. I mean, come on. Well, you handled it so well, we can abandon the quiz of all-time favorite baseball numbers I put together to have fun with you. Yeah? Yeah?

Well, I don't think I want to take the risk. I know you don't. I know. We're going to abandon it. You handled yourself so well. I don't want to add any take the risk. I know you don't. We're going to abandon it. You handled yourself so well. I don't want to add any more fuel to the fire. Yeah, I mean, everyone knows I'm very composed. Always level-headed.

You know what? Look, it happens. It happens. Yeah, it really does happen, especially when there's pressure. There's at least 100,000. You're on the radio. So is that funny that you bring that up? Like, I don't know about you,

I never think about anyone being out there listening when I'm doing a radio show. Yeah, me either. I only think about John and Ike. Yeah, I only think about being in the room. That's exactly right. And it's funny because our job is to actually answer phones of people who are literally out there listening.

And it still just doesn't get in for me i just don't you know which is probably good but it's funny yes so joe dimaggio 56 straight games i will never forget it for as long as i live that that is the number 56 i wanted to crush you more but again i i think you really handled it like uh you know you you took it on the chin jack yeah well i had props i mean listen we never we never lied to the high hopes listeners i fudged up all right i really did didn't like for as for as embarrassed as i'm sure everyone is out there for me you're you're way more embarrassed way more embarrassed it's time and close you were like so i got a text from a buddy i wasn't listening at the moment but i got a text from a buddy who said yo jack didn't know damagio's streak and i'm like no way and then i

texted you and you were like man i blanked and i'm so embarrassed i was like i'm so sorry buddy i get it and like ike was trying to play it off that i was lying i was like dude I'm so sorry, buddy. I get it. And Ike was trying to play it off that I was lying. I was like, dude, I'm not lying. I literally just forgot. I totally forgot. I got Julio putting out Twitter things. It's awful. Brutal. Brutal.

Just an awful day. Well, I'm sorry I made you relive it. Now that you've been so humbled by it. Just the fact, I mean, literally, that's the most embarrassing baseball thing to happen in this city I mean, I've been so humbled by it. Just just the fact I mean, like literally like. That's the most embarrassing baseball thing to happen in this city in the last two weeks. Nothing the Phillies have done since then could top that. You sure about that?

No, I mean, John Milton was probably like listening and he was probably like, wow, this guy's an idiot. John Milton was like, oh, hold my beer i got you yeah yeah i'll help you out to save you from this national embarrassment that you have become as a man well you're not as bad as john i'll say that let's uh let's move away from it what you got in the take back well i feel like since i did such a uh uh good sell job of josh burns i feel like i have to do the same for Michael Hill real quick. Yeah. Lay it on me. Yeah.

So like Michael Hill, very well respected throughout the game. I mean, just, he talked to anyone. It's like, Michael Hill's a great guy. He definitely knows how to have organizational structure.

Even though Jeter was there and whatnot, like Michael Hill is a guy that I wouldn't be, he would come in day one and know how to be a president of a baseball team like he just would um and when you look at the the just the plethora of talent that guy's acquired I mean think about all the talent the freaking Marlins have had that they haven't been able to keep because their owner was so was so cheap and they were always getting rid of guys and for as much as we rag on John Middleton, like if they had the talent that Marlins have had in the last like 10 years, I mean, we would be doing jumping jacks.

I mean, talk about the talent they traded away. They traded away Luis Castillo. Oh, man. I mean, so many. So many. I mean, Yelich, Stanton, Jose Fernandez obviously didn't trade away but passed away. I mean, just like guy after guy after guy.

Or, you know, Osuna, guy after guy. JT. JT, absolutely JT, yeah, for sure. Chris Paddock, Luis Castillo. Yeah, Chris Paddock's a great one, just one after another. I mean, just – Way more than the Phillies have developed, we can tell for sure. It's not even the same stratosphere.

we can tell for sure it's not even it's not even the same stratosphere um and it's it's like it's hard to tell how much is is the president obviously when it comes to drafting but he does have to have the right guys in place when it comes to that kind of stuff and i do think the phillies have the right guys in place when it comes to drafting and player development i think it could only get uh bigger as they continue to grow here so um yeah my, my main selling point with Michael Hill would be didn't get to spend any money in Miami. Like, who is the – well, outside of the one offseason when they signed Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, Mark Burley. Remember that offseason?

Of course. Outside of that, the Marlins didn't spend any money. They were forced to get rid of a lot of talent. And really last couple years, and this is my one concern, is Jeter brought in a guy by the name of Gary Denbo, who has definitely had his hands all over bringing in players and drafting players and whatnot. But, I mean, we've

seen the Marlins, you know, a lot and it just feels like they always have pretty good players. Like they always have good prospects. And if they were able to spend money around those prospects and the players they brought in, I mean, you might legitimately have something there. So, um, the main selling point for Hill is that great guy. A lot of people around the sport respect him. Brought in a lot of talent since he's been there. Hasn't been able to keep that talent because of the owner. Hasn't been able to sign any free agents because of the owner.

But should know how to run a baseball operation. The one thing that does worry me about him is that a lot of losing. I mean, just like a lot of losing. And again, when you factor in everything that the Marlins are, you understand why. I mean, not be able to spend any money. Burns comes from the Dodgers, just won the World Series. He's Friedman's right-hand man. The failed GM experience in the past, it probably soured his name a little bit but michael hill i mean this is their first playoff experience uh playoff um uh appearance since what oh three yes since oh three correct yeah and it was like a 60 game season so um yeah i mean that that that's

a little bit worrisome but you have to factor in the the other stuff with Michael Hill. And, yeah, if they can draft half as well as the Marlins have since 2010, we will take that. All right. Look at you. You have given me slightly more hope than I have before, Jack. I'm feeling a little bit better. All right. Well, you know, that's what we're here for.

We're high-ish hopes. Slightly high hopes. Yes. On the way to being high hopes. Still sad. Still sad, but trending up. And ultimately, like, both of those guys are not Jim Hendry, Ned Coletti, Brian Sabian, you know.

Yes. Yes, yes. The point is there could have been a disaster hire. And look, we don't know if they're going to hire anyone or what's going to happen. But if it is one of these two guys, it's not a disaster. And ultimately, I think that with those guys, I do think that there's a path to getting a good assistant GM in here. Not an assistant GM, a GM,

but an assistant GM from another. I get not necessarily a GM, but an assistant GM from another team that has viewed it. Like if you're going to hire one of those guys who have a pretty good scouting and development background, but aren't exactly strong in the, in the analytics side and data stuff, like I want to, I want to focus in on one of those kinds of guys for the GM role. And really like Jeff Kingston's a name that's been floated around.

Um, he may, he would make a lot of sense for that kind of role and really just help those guys with, with trades and free agent stuff. So, um, there will be a really good opportunity to,

you know, bring in a, a young rising ish star, um, from another team. Cause ultimately, I mean, dude,

like guys aren't leaving teams anymore. You know, they're, they're really like these teams are valuing their front office members more than ever before. So it's really hard to poach guys from other teams. So if you can get an assistant GM from elsewhere, from one of the smarter organizations, like a guy like Matt Foreman would be awesome from the Indians. Um, bring him in and let him be the GM and, and, and that kind of stuff. I mean, that would just, and let him be the GM and that kind of stuff.

I mean, that's what they need to do. So that would be exciting. All right. Take bag. Let's see what I have in here. Did you see Bryce's Instagram about Bryson Stott? I did. My man was lifting, huh?

I know. And it's just like he's not ready. Like I wouldn't feel totally comfortable if he was my opening day shortstop next year. He's not ready. I wouldn't feel totally comfortable if he was my opening day shortstop next year. I mean, he played in Williamsport the year before, and then he was in the alternate camp over the summer, and he was reportedly doing really well in the alternate camp, but it's still a pretty big leap to go from rookie ball to the major leagues. And we also know that the quality of Philly's pitchers,

he's probably facing down in the alternate camp. But, you know, just the fact that Bryce is pretty excited about him makes me excited. And I think, again, like I think Stott's going to be a good player. I don't think he's going to be some, you know, unbelievable player. I think he's going to be a very good major league baseball player. You know, 270, 15 to 20 homers. Like that's pretty much what I think from a stop with like solid shortstop play.

But ultimately, I mean, he's 24. He was drafted two years ago. Like this is kind of the path that they expected when they drafted him. So, you know, I wouldn't be like terribly shocked if he was a shortstop, especially if they're going to freaking just tear down like they might. I mean, just because they came out and shot down the Wheeler stuff doesn't mean they're not going to sell off pieces this offseason. You might as well just put stop there.

Yeah, look, if it makes Bryce happy, go for it. I feel so bad for how hoodwinked Bryce Harper got by our organization, our owner. I feel so horrible. Whatever you got to do to make him happy, just do it. Would John Milton trade Zach Wheeler for Mike Trout? Would he? Or is Zach Wheeler that valued in the Phillies organization?

I mean, is Mike Trout Babe Ruth? I don't know. Probably not. Some say. Some say. Yeah. Also, there's no proof that he ever pointed to the outfield stands so um like listen there's no there's no more bs story than than babe ruth called a shot right like you don't believe that do you i do not believe it but but i love it and i do which do you think which do you think is more realistic of happening, Wilt actually scoring 100 points or Babe Ruth calling a shot?

Wilt. Probably, although neither happened. Just dropping the fired takes at the end of the pot. I love it. Yeah, I mean, I know you were around for Wilt's 100 points, but. I'm surprised you remembered it's 100 points, but... I'm surprised you remembered it was 100 points and didn't say it was like 62 or something.

Yeah, I thought it was actually 56 points, which actually probably was only 56 points because that's the only thing that makes sense. How excited are you that the DH is back? I thought it wasn't, didn't they say? Yeah, I was the one who was going to say to you, how excited are you that the DH is back? I thought it wasn't. Didn't they say?

I was the one who was going to say to you, how excited are you? You got your sport back. Finally. It's good to have baseball back. Yeah. As we discussed, how many times during 2020 did you say, man, I really wish the pitcher were hitting? And what did I say? No comment.

I said I played the fifth. Yeah, exactly. you were hitting and what did i say no comment i said i played the fifth yeah exactly but also also how like whether or not like listen i i'm anti-dh all that fun stuff but it is just unbelievable that that baseball is like waits until now and i know i know it's so crazy it's like aren't these teams supposed to be building their rosters right now like what are we doing like like like the phillies could be going after David Dahl for left field, but I don't know. McCutcheon might have to be out there because they're paying him or whatnot.

It is so freaking baseball that they can't figure out if they're going to have a DH or not, and teams are literally at the virtual winter meetings not knowing if there's going to be a DH. It's unbelievable. Speaking of entering into the winter meetings. Rob Manfred. I mean, the only person who's maybe worse at his job

than John Middleton is as owner of the Phillies is Rob Manfred. Yes. Speaking of entering the winter meetings without a plan, I would just like to point out that the phillies entered into the winter meetings without a gm or a president and they're operating with interim gm ned rice with his best friend nat glentak like like they entered into the winter meetings without a freaking GM and president. How asinine is that? What baseball team thinks that is normal process is not my baseball team.

Nope. I got nothing to say. It's 53 minutes in, and the fact that we haven't talked about them having a president. Well, again, we mentioned at the top of the idea that Charlie Morton's getting signed for one year, 15 million. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? To a division rival? We shouldn't even say division rivals because the Phillies are a joke and the Braves are a good team. So to a division mate, let's say, we don't have – the Braves are not our rival.

They're rivals with good teams. We're a bad team. But, I mean, just, it's an embarrassment. Like, Robbie Ray won one year, $8 million. Like, there are all these deals that the Phillies could have been a part of, could be involved in. But, oh, wait, there's no one running the freaking franchise from a baseball operations perspective.

Awesome. Good job. Terrific. Everything's fine. Speaking of division and rivalry, rivals that are not going to be rivals for much longer looks like the Mets are are bowing out of the JT sweepstakes I mean it seems like they're pretty far advanced at James McCann um I still believe that JT is going to be a Philly and it's just it's I find the Mets situation to be weird why can't they get anyone to take that job I mean Chris Young left is it because Sandy

Alderson's like pulling yeah and yeah that that's been my interpretation of it it's just it's just it's just shocking to me like I thought I was honestly terrified they were going to walk out this offseason with like meander or turnoff or um you know just any of the big name front office execs and like chris young's turning you down i mean seriously chris young's never been a gm in his life i mean now he's gonna be the gm until now yeah i know but it's like still the mets can't even get chris young people love chris i didn't realize how how i had no idea i had no idea like that i thought he was when he got that job like the the quotes about him were like like he walks on water and he saved millions of lives by by his baseball knowledge was unbelievable i mean i wasn't a fan of him

as a pitching coach but we'll see how he does as a g. No, Jack. Come on. Don't mislead people. Come on. It was right there. It is a pretty big jump from pitching coach to GM. It is. It is. We kind of talked about this for a second earlier, but I just want to give you an opportunity to let the people know

how excited you are that Vince Velasquez is back for one more year. I thought we were trying to turn some positives, Jack, here and spin it to the positive. No, we're not doing that at all. How excited are you that Vince is back for one more year? Just not excited. Breakout year. Caleb Gotham My guy

I'm gonna get the most out of him Um I wanna know which podcast Makes you more sad to record This podcast Or Go Birds Oh god Imagine having to do

An Eagles and the Phillies podcast I mean Worst decisions have been made It's It's not fun, Jack. I don't get to have a lot of fun these days. So that sounds like a non-answer. You want my honest answer?

If your question is which team am I more upset with right now, it's the Phillies, and it's not that close. What, really? Yeah. Yeah, I can't tell who's more screwed, the Eagles or the Phillies. Well, look, regardless, the Eagles won a Super Bowl in the last years

and it doesn't save jobs or anything. You know, I want Harry Roseman gone and all that type of stuff, but they've still been way more relevant and way more fun. Again, we're talking about a decade. It's about to be a decade without making the playoffs. I'm way more upset about

the phillies than i'm about to fit because both teams look screwed for right now moving forward anyway but at least the eagles have had success recently like the phillies have given us nothing well as i've stated many times that was your super bowl not mine um that's fine man i'll take it be happy about it i know i know you've waited since 1960 Your freshman year of high school Are we done yet? No I have one last thing And it's Eagles related

But it's a stunning admission for my part It's a lot of Eagles talk It's like the most Eagles talk in Ohio's history I know but I feel like I have to get it out there Because you know We don't lie to the Ohio's listeners And we always tell them that you know We live and die at the Phillies and the Phillies are top of mind at all times. And apparently last night when I was when I was sleeping, I woke Jill up with a conversation that I was having with myself in which I was asking, is it more Doug or is it more Carson?

No, I know. I know. I know. I was having a full-fledged argument with myself. Oh, no, Jack. That woke up Jill. Oh, no. So what's going on, buddy? That should be a Josh Burns or Michael Hill asleep conversation.

I totally agree. I totally agree. I mean, I don't know how to take this. I know. I know. I know. And I think it's because it had been so long since we recorded this podcast agree i totally agree i mean like i don't know how to take this i know i know i know and i think it's because we it had been so long since we recorded this podcast that i hadn't like fully doving in on the phillies in a while um that yeah it was the the top of my mind last night was

is it carson or is it doug that is causing a downfall the eagles um tonight i envision that i will wake up jill a Josh Burns or Michael Hill conversation because ultimately, I'm torn. But that's how far down the Phillies are in terms of relevance in my brain right now. Might be the saddest thing that's been said on podcast. Yeah. Seriously. I mean, also sad for Jill.

I feel for Jill that she has to keep getting woken up by these. Jill was like, I think she was laying there. I think she said to herself, seriously? That's a correct response. He's not thinking anything deep. There's no deep thoughts. He's just a moron that is sleeping loves sports way too much he's just sitting there it is something this isn't even conscious this is the dead ass asleep and it's and it's

thinking about is it Doug or is it Carson I mean how sad is that it's really sad I mean of all the sad things that I have revealed in this podcast forgetting dimaggio's hitting streak uh the fact that i'm still a phillies fan i think the the most sad is that at top of mind in my subconscious is whose fault is the eagles wow man that is depressing again i think it's the most depressing thing we've talked about. And we've talked a lot about John Middleton. So it's a high bar to clear. Yeah, I agree. I agree. Well, I'm happy we've clearly uplifted all the...

Uplifted, yes. We have uplifted everyone. I'm tired, Jack. Uplifted. It's 9.30. I'm old, man. I get it. But again, I don't know.

You might be adding to the sadness of this podcast at 930 you're calling it quits you're calling it quits also hold on how are we not going to get out of here with this I mean happy second birthday to Zoe Seltzer yes well said

I feel like she's four in my mind Zoe's like at least four years old she's not really two well this is what you do with my age, too. You just consistently double it from where it actually is. That makes sense. Hey, the Seltzers are always older than they appear. We're old.

We're older than expected. That's our thing. Yeah, you really are. What a great thing to have. Great trait. Good genes. It's the Seltzer family thing. It's the Seltzer way.eltzer way how old are they yeah

shout out to zoe who is two two not four two zoe uh this is just me and you talking very sorry that your dad is entering entering you into some philly's fandom well yeah that's tough man i'm sorry i mean she's not gonna have a choice but that's tough yeah well at least they'll win one championship in the next 120 oh high hopes buddy listen hey if you can't if you can't go through it together, then why go through it at all? It's a great point. It's a great point.

That's the title of this podcast. If you can't go through it together, why go through it at all? I love it. I love when we come up with a title at the very end. That's good. Yep, no problem. Hold on. I'm even going to.

I'm even going to. Yeah, hold on. Hold on. Let's do this right now so we don't screw this up. And then when people hear this at the end, they'll have already seen the title and it'll be hilarious. Ah, sweet. Okay, so if, say it again for me. If we don't go through this together, why go through it at all?

If we can't go through this. If we can't, yeah. If we can't go through it. If we can't go through this together, why go through it at all? Boom. Yes. Love it. All right.

We did it. That's going to be the title of the podcast. Now you can look at your thing and it'll say that. And you're like, oh, I get it. Love it. Big inside joke with me and the guys. Oh, man. You got anything else? i absolutely do not until i got nothing until until three weeks from now i'm recording next time

oh man we love everyone who listens to this podcast you are the best he's friends himself. We'll see you later. 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 it's now the most prolific national daily baseball pod there is. Another fact, so jump aboard the BIB 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