High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Jack's Big Break

Episode Date: April 15, 2021

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz have a special Radio edition of High Hopes. The guys react to the disappointing Mets series, tell everyone to relax, 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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you'll want to extend your stay beyond the matches. Get the ball rolling on your soccer getaway. Head to visittheusa.com. Yes. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol and select markets. See app for details. This is the High Hopes Podcast. It's a bunch of baseball nerds talking about the Phillies. On Radio.com and Sports Radio 94 WIP. Yo! It is another edition of the High Ops Podcast. And that was a, so I had originally based on pure baseball.

Pure baseball. It was going to be a yo. Yeah. But. But. Jack got his big break today. That's right. So I have a little bit of the yo, baby.

Jackie, big break. Yeah. Listen. And yo, baby. Jackie Big Break. Yeah, listen, and honestly, yeah, obviously the yo could have been more subdued, given the baseball team that we are currently watching. But it's only 12 games. Everything's fine. Yeah, totally fine, right, Jack? Nothing to worry about.

It's all good. Nothing to worry about. Everything. Yeah yeah everything's fine everything's fine here is the deal um this is gonna be a different i hopes pod uh for you guys um and for us i guess uh but jack got his big break today out of nowhere you also had a pretty bit i mean i know you've been on the air before but i mean this is probably the biggest break you've gotten that'd be the most important yes some are saying i'll say yeah let's put it this way when i called my wife when i called emily um to tell her like hey i'm hopping

on the air now with jack and i you know it's pushing my time my back whatever this and that she's like you and jack are going on the air together oh my god that's so cool so she was super geeked about it which should tell you how geeked i was about it um so yeah we got to go on the air together i don't know where thank you thank you jody cameron john richie for just leaving classic show classic always looking to get out of here yep and then there was a rain out and then they were like who can we get on the air and we were there save the day sometimes you just gotta be in the right place right spot you know and uh i'm gonna say we saved the day but like we saved the day oh very clearly i got to be in the right place, right spot, you know? I'm not going to say we saved the day, but, like, we saved the day.

Oh, very clearly. I mean, very clearly. Like, I would say, you know, it was maybe the highest rated midday show in a long time. And I would like to take personal responsibility for that. But, yeah, it was fun, man. You know, it was one of those, they always say, you know, always be on your feet, like prepared for everything. And it was like, well, we can just do what we always do, which is just rip about the Phillies.

There was no plan. There was nothing. No, in fact, I actually had somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 seconds to a minute from the moment you told me what was happening to the time I was talking into a microphone on the air so yeah yeah yeah and honestly honestly moved a little slow i need you i need you there quicker well to be fair i was in the middle of recording another podcast we don't talk about that podcast it's fine i'm just kidding this is this is the important stuff here right but i you know i was in the middle of another thing i got pulled away as i don't you know adjust listen yeah and you got on there just start talking riffing about the

film i did i did well because at first it was just me and you'll hear that i'm sure listeners yeah you hear that at first it was just me because jack had to do this whole thing where he had to get me on the air and then get dan wilson into the studio go to the other studio set the whole thing up so i'm like seeing jack like go back and forth and like helping dan set stuff up because dan one of a guy has not had to produce these types of shows yet in this moment so jack's like both producing and then hopping to the other studio trying to talk and also and also figuring out the break schedule and how to get spots in there i'm like just talking and i'm like all right i just gotta keep talking until jack's ready and i see you like going back and forth. That is Dan Wilson

of Locked on Philz. Shout out to Dan. Great guy. If you want to listen to that podcast, you can. This is the Philly's Podcast. We've been on it before. That's a free plug, Dan. Don't get upset. We're just having fun with you.

Especially because, Dan, we like to really try to keep it real with the fact that there are no other phillies podcasts at all like zero correct even i mean pints are alone what we just did right there was you know actually should be really appreciative of right that's almost right and if there is a phillies podcast that i haven't been on i don't know about it uh i've been on every single phillies podcast so you're the go-to guest yep sure you are you are the i'm trying to think of you who at w you're like the howard eskin of philly's podcast where it's like every single show has howard on at some point or another during the week yeah and he just hops on and he says what you say and then uh but you're

like the go-to every time someone needs you oh let's call fredzy out he'll say yes he will say yes don't get any ideas though people don't go just about to say i can't wait for the flood of dms coming your way people might just start a podcast just so they could talk to you yep uh all right uh all right so let's get into it so so that's what's different is is instead of us just saying the exact same stuff that we said on the radio about the Phillies, you get to hear that. We'll be back after, which funny enough. And you get to listen to callers.

And you get to listen to callers. Who doesn't love that? Maybe one of the people listening was one of the callers. That would be really cool. That would be really cool. So what's about to happen is you're going to hear that and spend the next hour listening to that. Jack and I are going to take like three seconds or so to leave a little spot and then we'll

be back. So for you, it's an hour. For us, it's three seconds. Here you go. The inaugural edition of High Ops Radio. Well, how about that game, folks? Quite a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game. We are here.

It is James Seltzer here with Jack Fritz. Unexpectedly, the game getting called out of nowhere. It really felt like looking at the weather forecast and how it was shaking out for New York. It felt like, okay, they're going to squeeze this one in. We'll get to get a quick baseball game in and then move on to the Cardinals this weekend. But it was not to be, I guess, the forecast just too scary as it moved forward. So, unfortunately, no Phillies game today.

Now, look, we missed Jacob DeGrom. Worse things have happened than not having to face Jacob DeGrom. Phillies will get back at it tomorrow against the St. Louis Cardinals. Coming home, Jack Fritz putting out a stunning stat about the Philadelphia Phillies the other day. Their road record since 2018, if I'm not mistaken, they are 77-119. Is that correct? After yesterday, yeah. Now we're back to 119.

I'm trending in the right direction. It's unbelievable. And anecdotally, I had felt like they had struggled on the road recently, and certainly last season, but I had no idea the numbers were that stark. I mean, 77-119 since 2018 on the road is incredibly bad, and I wonder what it speaks to your question, where that comes from, why this team can't seem to muster up the same energy

that they show at home on the road, but it's clearly a concern. I don't know if it's something that's going to continue, but it's a concern. Speaking of concerns, and let's get involved, 215-592-9494 reacting to what we have seen from the Phillies, even though no game today. There's still a lot to get into from the last few games. The Phillies, at this point, losing 6-7 after starting 5-1 has been a real rough stretch here to the season.

And Bryce Harper coming out yesterday and talking about, hey, the thing I hate most is when people say, oh, it's early in the season. He's like, no, we've got to start winning games now. We are in a tough division. And he's right. You know, this is, we got so excited with the 5-1 start because it felt like, okay, this team has a chance

to get out of the gate strong and maybe carry that momentum. You know, there was so much buzz around this team to start the season as a group of guys who felt like it was time. I mean, we've played the Reese Hoskins clip on the station, on the Midday Show so many times, the idea that this group of guys have been together long enough. They've been here long enough. They know that it's time to take that next step, that this 81 and 81, 82 and 80, this

500-ish baseball team, It can't happen again. Like, these guys are too far along in their careers. They've been here too long. And this city has waited too long. We're talking about a decade, a decade of Phillies baseball without a playoff appearance. I mean, that's hard to fathom. I mean, we all remember what it was like from 7 to 11.

I mean, the magic, the excitement. Every night it was like the coolest thing you could possibly do was go down to Citizens Bank Park for a game. And that's completely and totally gone for a decade, and we want to get back to that. And it felt like this team out of the gate was the type of team that could do that, that they believed in themselves,

that there was, again, a common goal, a common belief in their abilities, in their chances to actually make some noise this year. And, again, I still think that's possible. Like, I'm not damning the season. We're only 12 games into the season. It is an incredibly small sample size when we're talking about baseball. But I certainly can't come on the air right now after the last you know six of the last seven games losses and especially the performance yesterday where they didn't even show up a

pathetic showing as i see my co-host finally ready to roll here we are jack fritz hey buddy this is high hopes radio oh buddy whose mistake mistake was this? It's somebody's. The rain. I think the rain's the only thing that can make this happen. Well, the rain can stop two things, James. Philly's baseball and why not Mick? The Mets got lucky today. They did.

They got lucky. We didn't get lucky because Jacob DeGrom was going against us. Yes, yes. Everything was going to be fine. And they won the last time Jacob DeGrom faced us. They did. Yeah, I mean, listen, a disappointing rain out. But I don't even get why they – it was never going to happen today.

Why even go through this whole thing? We could have got another two hours of Joe DiCamera. You're right. Now he's stewing at home. I'm sure he's upset about that too. I'm sure the extra, you know, three hours of hanging out time, he's very upset to watch Wes swing or whatever. Yeah, yeah.

If I know one thing about Joe DiCamera, it's he's very busy. Yes, yes. No one more busy than Joe. All, it's that he's very busy. Yes, yes. No one more busy than Joe. All right, well, let's talk some Phillies, Jack, because it is High Hopes Radio right now on WIP. What I was talking about before, like, I know, look, we came into the season, you are, if anyone has listened to our podcast, High Hopes, check it out, they know that Jack is the positive one.

Jack's the one who's always ready for a run, always willing to believe, and it really felt at the start of's always ready for a run, always willing to believe, and it really felt at the start of the season like this is a team to believe in, Jack. Settle me down. Tell me not to worry after the last six of the seven and the struggles offensively and the center field hole and all that stuff.

Well, because they're going to be fine. I honestly don't get what everyone's worried about. The offense is going to be good. There's no way they're going to continue striking out the way they are. They're too good of an offense. There's too good of a track record there. McCutcheon's worrisome. I think McCutcheon's definitely worrisome.

Top of the lineup, all that stuff. Not getting on base, which is what he's supposed to do. But I think Hoskins, Harper, Boehm, Real Medo, and Didi. Didi's on an 11-game hitting streak right now. He's batting.310 so quietly. It's like the quietest. 310 I can ever remember. Right. And I think Segura's starting to come out of it a little bit.

Segura's batting 295 out of nowhere. Yeah. And now Mickey's up here, so hopefully you don't go pitcher, pitcher at the bottom of your lineup. Or yesterday when Torres was in the line, it was pitcher, pitcher, pitcher. Right. Right. I'm glad Ronald Torres is here. But honestly, I don't feel the overwhelming dread that most people feel

I think Wheeler pitched really well last night I think Eflin's a good pitcher I think Chase Anderson's going to give them quality innings Nola, not worried about Nola he goes through this stuff especially early in the season, it's a little bit colder he's a feel guy, I think JT hasn't helped him and I think he'll eventually get there

Matt Moore, not going to sell you on that one. Not going to sell you on Matt Moore. I appreciate you not trying to. But other than that, I think Mickey provides an upgrade in center field. And the one thing that I am actually worried about is the defense. I think the defense is the one thing that I can't see getting better as the season goes on. But other than that, it's 12 games.

They're a good baseball team. The bullpen is fixed. Just get going a little bit here. Get out of New York. Get out of the NL East. Get home this weekend. And let's just right this ship a little bit. Yeah, look, starting against the Mets and the Braves is tough.

I mean, they are, for a reason, the two teams that you're competing with in the division most likely for that division crown. They are both really good baseball teams. So I share a lot of your not going overboard with the concern. The sky isn't falling, as Jody Cameron said the other day. But I do think there are things you can look at and say, all right, these are going to have to be fixed. And obviously we love Mickey Moniak.

We're excited about Mickey getting a shot. But the center field position is still a question mark for sure, especially with Roman Quinn is the most unplayable Philly guy I've ever that's a good comp he is he is literally unplayable but I mean they do have issues I mean Matt Moore is is not going to cut it like they don't have starting pitching depth especially if Matt if one of those guys can't pitch for a day guess who's starting it's Vinny Velasquez all right so they struggle there And let's be real, man. I know it's not something you think about a lot, but the bench, the right-handed bench bat, is there a single guy off this bench who could actually hit in any situation?

I mean, that's a hole for this team. Yeah, but these are minor things that can get ironed out as the season wears on. It's 12 games. 12 games. Calm down. All right. 2-1-5-5-9-2. 94-94.

Let's talk some Phillies baseball. Where you're at with this seemingly struggling team at the moment. Are you more like Jack or are you not too concerned? I look down at the board, Jack. Yeah. And, you know, we make a few jokes. We make a few comments. We struck a nerve.

Really? Let's talk to the one, the only, the hammer. Joe DiCamera on the air! Hey, buddy. What's up, pal? Well, you know, I don't think you struck a nerve with me to, like, call based on anything you said. I'm just trying to figure out do I have to come back to the studio? I mean, I'll do it.

I'll do it. You would. No, Joe, this is my big break. If you could please let me get this, that'd be great. Also, follow me back on Twitter. Well, two things. I'll get to the Twitter thing in a second. I know it's your big break, Jack, but it's also my rating. I mean, we're

intended to right now, and the objective is to win, not to lose. No, I agree. That's why I'm stepping up my game. We're going to do an impromptu beat the hammer, and I will give a quality reaction when I win. Look, just know this. I just turned the direction of my car around, so I'll point win. Look, just know this. I just turned the direction of my car around, so I'll explain that.

All right, see you soon. That's actually probably a good idea. See you back in here in a little bit. Well, yeah, but in this issue of your Twitter, I mean, James, you might not know about this. Fritz asked me on Twitter last night to follow him on Twitter. I did not know this. First off, it's an absolutely lame request.

It's a very lame move i i'm very lame beyond lame i mean maybe it's sarcasm born out of a relatively young guy just being a young guy desperate and attention-seeking but um yeah it's just it's weird and so of course i didn't follow i just think i just think that you're proving once again it's all about you not a team guy and you follow 600 people i don't understand how i don't get in the 600 yeah i follow real celebrities is the most and to prove that i'm a team guy i mean this is why i was advocating last week that the phillies should have plunked the cunha because you know if you notice since that moment and they didn't stand up as a team they've lost a bunch of games together as a team.

So this is why things like that matter. I'm not saying it solves every problem, and it's going to be the difference that they're going to start hitting the ball. But I will say I have taken notice ever since Girardi did not bond them as a team by standing up for the second-best pitcher on the team, maybe the best pitcher, and have his back, they've been losing. Not good. Look, Joe, I hated that take of yours,

but it's impossible to argue that they have not looked significantly worse since that happened. Quickly, what do you make of Girardi? Because we haven't talked a lot about Girardi. I think he's had a rough start to the season in multiple ways, but what's your take on Girardi so far this season? Yeah, I think I'm disappointed to this point. I don't think he's the main thing.

I want to be clear about that. I don't think he's really the reason why hitters aren't hitting. You know, that's on the hitters, and that certainly is most top of mind for me, that the hitters got to hit better. But, you know, look, I look back to last year and the situation where it was clearly a makeable for the playoffs situation. They clearly could have made the playoffs.

They didn't. You know, the relief pitching was a disgrace, and that is primarily on the relief pitchers. But, you know, the thought process when you hire Girardi is, hey, you're getting one of the top managers in baseball. He's great at navigating the bullpen, and he can help you. And it was the bullpen that was a disaster. And I got to – I mean, it's a weird spot. Am I to blame Girardi if some guy doesn't get players out in the seventh inning? I mean, I don't know entirely, but let's put it this way.

Then why even have a manager? Yeah. I mean, you know, the manager's got to influence something. He couldn't solve the situation last year. You know, this year I think he made, and again, you guys know my position, I thought he made a monumental mistake last week not throwing in Acuna because it doesn't bond the team together. They let one of their own players get punked.

I thought it was terrible. And they're just not, you know, they're not playing crisp baseball right now. You know, I mean, I've also been, I'll tell you this, guys, I've been very disappointed with some of what he has said post-game press conferences. You know, we don't talk a ton about that from a Philly standpoint. We normally focus more on Eagles coaches. But, you know, his just explanation that basically was, let's blame nobody for the situation a couple days ago.

Yes. With the, you know, with the. Alvarado play. Alvarado play. I mean, like somebody's to blame. Like you can't say no one's to blame. Like you can't say no one's to blame. And he's basically saying no one's to blame. So if no one's to blame, then okay, just be 6-6 and go 81-81

and miss the playoffs for the 10th year in a row. But, you know, otherwise, you know, how about let's turn up the intensity here. Let's have some accountability. And let's see a team actually make the playoffs. Yeah, I think accountability is a really big point, too. I mean, this team just hasn't been crisp. They haven't played sharp since that opening weekend, essentially. They look like the team that's less prepared to play every single game.

Yeah, they do. And you see that defensively. I don't know that really is something you can feel in the hitting. Guys go through slumps, and unfortunately, they've got a bunch going through them at the same time. But defensively, it's just not been crisp. You know, and I even go back. You know, we didn't talk about it yesterday on the show,

but I've got to tell you, I found the whole sequence of Roman Quinn's attempted steal at third base to be really bizarre because, you know, look, he's not to be overslide. He steals the base, but thinks the ball goes in left field, starts getting up and gets tagged. Okay, that's a stupid play from an instinct standpoint. You know, he should have been a little more cognizant that the guy could have the ball and he did.

But what's up with the decision by Roman Quinn to even run when it's a situation where it's going to be the third out if you get caught? And part of the reason to me why you know that the manager was on board with it, I mean, that's a double steal. I forget which player it was. I think it might have been Haseley. I don't know which guy it was. Someone's running behind him.

I mean, I thought the catcher should have thrown the ball to second base, by the way. That's a whole other matter. But, I mean, and then when Girardi's asked about it after the game, he didn't want to go into specifics. He doesn't want to give away strategy. But it sounded kind of, to me, like he was basically saying,

I was okay with Roman Quinn taking that bag, I was okay with a double steal. I thought it was a stupid baseball play. Yeah, I did too, especially with Quinn on second base or down a run, like he scores on any hit, like no matter where the ball is hit, he's going to score from second base running on contact. It felt

like a poor decision all around him. Yeah, I didn't like it. And so, you know, there have been situations this year that make me question Girardi. And look, he seems like a great guy and a nice guy and all that stuff. But I think he has been, charitably speaking, I would say I've been underwhelmed with Girardi thus far. Yeah. No, I feel you, Joe. What else you got?

You turning around? I'm on Old York Road in Abington. No, don't. Stay out there. I can move over to Broad Street. Stay out there. We'll be good. We'll be good.

You sure? Yeah, man. We appreciate it. Fritz, is that true? You guys going to be able to hang in there? I mean, I can come back in. No, I think we got it. Iitz, is that true? You guys going to be able to hang in there? I mean, I can come back in. No, I think we got it. I think Johnny's on his way down from college.

He might be doing five hours. So, you know, I mean, listen, we'll get through it. This is what radio stations do. Sometimes you got to just adjust on the fly, Joe. Well, sometimes you do, but sometimes Joel Embiid has to come back in the game like he did last night. So are we the Sixers right now and we're blowing the huge lead that you guys had and then you've got to come back and fix it?

Well, let me be very clear. You're the Sixers bench right now. Am I Furcan? No, you're whoever I came in as. Mike Scott. Yeah, Mike Scott was good two years ago. Guys, look, have a great day, man. I know you've got a lot of calls to get to.

Have fun. I seriously can't get in there for you today. But have a great time, man. I know you got a lot of calls to get to. Have fun. I seriously can't get in there for any day. But have a great time, man. And thanks for jumping in. I appreciate it. Alright, Joe. We'll talk to you soon, brother. See ya. How about that? I know. You mentioned the hammer and boom. Well, it's because he listens all the time. Now, Girardi, real quick, I actually thought

last night was the first time he had shown a backbone as Philly's manager. So, the JoJo Romero thing last night doesn't get over to cover. Oh, horrible. Yeah. Horrible. You just stopped running.

Right. You just stopped. It was just a brain freeze. He doesn't get over to cover first base, and Girardi, right out of the dugout, goes and takes him out of the game. Like, that's the kind of stuff that I thought I was going to get under Joe Girardi. Like, we were told he's such a big difference from Gabe Kapler.

And, oh, they're going to be dripping with accountability and all this stuff. But, like, we haven't seen that. And I thought last night was the first time that he actually held a player accountable for messing up. Joe brought up the Roman Quinn thing the other day. That was ridiculous. I mean, just... Unbelievable. Like, horrible decision-making across the board.

Well, even, like, trying it was dumb. That's my point. Like, trying it. He scores on any hit. Like, what are we doing? Right. And then after the game, Jordy's like, I don't want to give a shot. But he was, like, fine with it.

Like, he was fine with Roman stealing the base. And he's even making an excuse that he was safe and he got pushed off the bag. That's not the point. That's not the point. The point is, he should not be stealing third there with Reese Hoskins at the plate. And then he's talking about how they didn't leave plays on the field. What are you talking about? I could name five that game. Five in the doubleheader that they left on the field. What are you talking about? I could name five that game.

Five in the doubleheader that they left on the field. Hoskins misplayed a double play ball. Didi was awful all day defensively. So, like, he's doing the thing where he's lying to us about how we're viewing a baseball team, and I don't get why. Well, I mean, there was a certain guy who was here before who you just mentioned who got killed for it. Killed.

It's very Gabe Kepler-esque. I mean, to come out after that Alvarado play and say like oh no one was at fault like nobody that's Gabe Kapler that's what we used to kill we used this radio station every day used to be like the worst manager in the history of baseball for this exact team type of stuff how about the play in Atlanta how about the Wheeler thing where Girardi and it's a brain fart and it happens but if if that were Gabe Kapler who about the Wheeler thing where Girardi and it's a brain fart and it happens, but if that were Gabe Kapler, who did the second mound visit in the inning and they had to take Wheeler out of the game because of it, it would have been months

on WFW. We've been talking about it for months. We're still not over opening day with Nola. 68 pitches. Who can forget? 2-1-5-5-9-2. 94-94. Let's go to Abington and talk to our good buddy Tom. Hey, Tommy. Yo, fellas.

How we doing today? Hello, Tom. So we got the best producer on the planet in there today, huh? Oh, and hello to you too, Jack. I thought you were talking to Dan Wilson, to be honest with you. This is awesome, the producer's show. Well, it's about time. I mean, it's about time this happened.

Yeah, that they recognized you guys as a talent together, right? Hey, Joe DiCamera has absolutely no life outside the station. What other personality gets an afternoon off and is compelled to call into the radio station the first thing he does? None. None with you, Tom. He's the only one. That's true. I love Joe DiCamera. he's the only one that's true um i love

yeah joe's a good dude i love him uh but so vinnie velo what that mess when he came in last week to that game do you guys know that that the line he put out it's the first time that line has been put out in modern day baseball only vinnie only vin Yeah, it was such a microcosm of his career. One in a third inning pitch, zero hits, four strikeouts, four walks, four earned runs. It's a pretty wild line. It really is. Yeah, that was

insane. I hope they are done with him. I mean, is there any way that we can be done with Vinny V? He's going to start on Saturday if they played today. That is a luck out of the rain out is you do get that extra day off so they can just go with Nola, Moore, and Anderson this weekend. Moore and Anderson, I don't know how much better you feel about those guys.

Is there a guy that can replace him that can be like a long man or a starter? I mean, theoretically, Spencer Howard could be that guy. I don't know if that's the way you want to use him. Ranger Suarez, who I think is coming back from an injury or might be back already, is another guy like that. But, I mean, Adonis Medina, maybe, Jack? I don't know. But, like, the point is they're not – like, that's a problem.

That's why I mentioned at the top of the show the idea of this depth when it comes to across the team. Like, they're all right as a starting lineup for the most part, but the depth when you get past the fourth – and the fourth and fifth stars are bad to begin with, but then Vinny's next. Vinny's that next guy. Oh, it's pathetic.

And I guess, Jack, you're all excited because your boy's up now, right? Well, finally, the center field problem is hopefully fixed, and they're going to have to give him at-bats. I mean, Roman Quinn is terrible. It comes down to it could eventually turn into Scott Kingery, but the fact that Scott Kingery wasn't their first guy to call up, I think, is telling.

It seems like they really want him to kind of iron out those issues at AAA and make sure he's right before rushing him up here, and they maybe feel like Mickey Moniak is better suited for this role. It would be, honestly, best-case scenario for the Phillies is Mickey Moniak taking this job and running with it. I mean, that's the best possible scenario. Absolutely.

I heard Joey O'Shea the other night. The center field combination was batting like 091 less than the pitchers. Yeah. I mean, Roman Quinn's batting 050. I mean, I didn't know that was possible. It's so hard to do. Pitchers bat 100, 118. They're going to have to come up with

another line lower than the Mendoza line. Call it the Quinn line. Poor Roman. Poor Roman. Which is worse? Which is worse? The 2020 Phillies bullpen or centerfield? I mean, it's still the bullpen. Oh, wow. Wow. it's still the bullpen. Center field. Oh, wow.

Wow. I'm going center field, yeah. Tommy. Have a great one, fellas. Thanks for the call, man. Yeah, I – You sure? No, and that's the craziest part.

I'm not sure. I lean toward the pen, and maybe it's just because it was so many games of it and just the consistency of it. But, look, I mean, it's not that different. I mean, like, obviously, Mickey, we're hoping he's great and all that. But, like, until now, it has been, like, an actual hole in your lineup. Like, it is worse than a pitcher hitting. So you have two pitchers.

Honestly, like, I would rather have Zach Wheeler up there. I would, too, without question. I've said that multiple times. It's unbelievable. It's up there with, like, I think the camera brought up yesterday it too without question i've said that multiple times it's unbelievable it's it's it's it's it's up there with like the joe i think the camera brought up yesterday about the the position groups or whatever like the carrie williams bradley fletcher cornerbacks the dgb receivers yeah and they're like the eagles specialized in this in this but um keeping it phillies related

like the the bullpen of 2020 and the center field are starting to become aligned. Hopefully, Mickey can be our saving grace out there. He better be. 2-1-5-5-9-2-9-4-9-4. Let's go to Plymouth meeting and talk to Jim. Hey, Jim. Hey, guys. Thanks for taking my call.

I appreciate it. Thanks for making it, Jim. Yeah. I wanted to talk about, I really like what Jack said in that. We have very small problems, but we have a great foundation of a team. All we need really is maybe one more starting pitcher, another couple of bullpen pieces, but these issues you can solve possibly in-house.

And so if you're able to solve some issues in-house, come the summertime, come all-star break, you're looking at other teams and seeing who you could take, who you could possibly trade for, and that's a perfect circumstance to pick up one or two guys, and hopefully at that point you're at a point where you can push towards the playoffs. I think the Phillies,

they had the sixth-best offense last year, and they have the same guys coming back, and now Moniac's coming in in centerfield. I think the Phillies are in a great spot. Look, Jim, I'm not concerned about the offense, the struggles they've had. I think they'll hit. I'm not, you know, and again, they've played the Mets and the Braves. They've played two of the best teams in baseball for these first 12 games,

flat out. So I do think there's a lot of truth to that and what you're saying. Now, the one concern, though, is the Phillies need to be in position at the trade deadline for Dombrowski to be able to make those moves like we've seen that john middleton is hesitant to go over the luxury tax and and clearly hesitant this season unless they are in pole position unless dembrowski can say like these two guys give us a chance to to win the world series or to to really make a run in the playoffs, if they're sitting where they're at now, if it's a 500-ish type of team, they're not going to do it.

Yeah, I don't think they're either. But, you know, going in, you saw that the Phillies were going to play 13 straight games against the NL East and start off the year. I think 6-6 is not the spot where we want to be, but it's not the worst spot that we could be in. No, Jim, I— It's the only half game out of the first place going into the third week of the season.

I just think Philly fans, especially like Joe DiCamera, should calm down and relax and just wait. We're still in the third week of the season of 162 games. No, and Jim, and thanks for the call. And that's definitely the key point. You know, I think Jack always likes to joke around about reacting to Phillyies games like Eagles games. Yeah, but I do.

But they're not. It's the point. They're not. It's a much longer season. I do love them. I do love that we react to them like Eagles games. I know some of the reactions are harsh and we've got to kind of keep it calmed down a little bit. But overall, it's just nice to argue about them.

And especially, they're giving us reasons to be upset. I mean, the road stuff, the fact that they look so lethargic and just not the same team on the road, it drives me crazy. Like, if I could just only watch home Phillies, I think I would. Well, because there's no reason for it. Like, this is not, like, a sport where there should be that drastic a difference between home road splits unless you're playing Colorado or something. Like, there's no reason they should be there. And's not just offensively like across the board they're just

a worse baseball team on the road it's strange you know what i think it is is i think that they don't have a guy that can get them going right like like mccutchen's very laid back hoskins laid back bryce kind of goes about his way jt you know, he's pretty fiery. Yeah, but also stoic in a way, too. Right, exactly. Like, DD kind of, he could do it if he wanted to, but I feel like he's also a little bit quiet. They don't have that guy that can really get them going, right? Like, Brad Miller's the only one on the team that I think

shows, like... Ooh, by the way, can we get some Brad Miller at bats? I mean, the guy batted cleanup for the Cardinals last year, and he's like, never plays. Yeah, well, especially over Matt Joyce. But, I guess his thought process is that Matt Joyce whiffs 18% of the time and Brad Miller whiffs 41% of the time on fastballs. And you're facing the ground today, so that's probably not the best mix given that he started his last start with 24 straight fastballs.

But yeah, the road stuff's weird. They need a guy that can – like J-Roll, obviously on those teams, was a great guy for road games because he kind of put the pressure on him, and he wanted to get the excitement going, get them ready to go on the road. And I just fear that this team is very laid back, and they kind of go about their business, but they're not really fired up and ready to go on the road.

Well, look, I mean, we talked about it before, and I know a manager can only do so much, but if you don't know if a player is going to do that, then Joe Girardi has to find a way to do that. Got to flip over some tables. Yeah, whatever it is. He has to find a way to get these guys ready to play on the road. That's on you, Joe. You've got to be ready, man. And that's why I like that

he finally showed a little bit of a backbone yesterday and took Joe Girardi out of the game after a mental mistake. Because you have to do that stuff. You have to hold players accountable, or else they're going to keep making the same mistake over and over again. Let's go to Darren. Darren, you're on WIP. Hi, how you doing? Good, Darren.

What's up, Dave? How you doing? First time I ever called, so. Oh, my goodness. Wow, good timing. Good timing, Darren. Thank you. You know, I'm calling because it just seems to me

that sometimes, like, they have Carlos Santana. They get these batters to come in and just all of a sudden die. They just can't hit the ball when they come to Philadelphia. You got Bryce Harper coming in, and he was like lights out before they signed him. And he just hasn't lived up to it. I mean, I love the guy, and I'm hoping he does great, but doesn't it just seem like they get these guys and they just all of a sudden disappear? Look, I wouldn't say with every guy but but it is

an interesting question i i do think over the last few years and and now it's a new staff and all that but there have been guys who were certainly more successful before they came here and obviously carlos santana a good example of someone who really struggled when he got here compared to the type of player he was prior and after. And after, yes. He definitely afterwards, he went crazy. Well, he's an all-star last. But I think that, like, D.D.'s been good since he's gotten here. He's been more consistent. J.T. has been a better offensive player here than he was in Miami.

Like, Bryce is kind of, this is what he's been his whole career. I mean, I understand he had the 2015 season, and 2017 he was great. But overall, he's been pretty up and down. Other than that, Carlos is a good example, but Gene on this team has been dreadful. He has not been a 300-hitter. McCutcheon, but injuries. Yeah, and he was slowing down before he got to Philadelphia anyway.

The OBP concerns are more worrisome for me than the getting out, but I think it's a minor thing. I don't think it's some big, huge deal that everyone comes here and stinks no i i mean yeah i mean he came there and uh he is you know on base percentage was uh outstanding but it just did didn't have the the power and the the batting average he's having right now and the other one i wanted to say was roman quinn i just feel for that guy yeah i mean I mean, if he could just, I don't know, bunt every time. No, Darren, I'm with you. I'm with you.

Good call, man. Thanks for calling. I keep making the major league joke, obviously, the Willie Mays Hayes do 20 push-ups every time he hit the ball in the air. But, like, and I know that's not real life, but, like, do something to tell this guy to just put the ball on the ground and he has been trying to bump more. Here's the problem.

It turns out Roman Quinn, not a great bunter. Great. Yeah, no, Roman Quinn thinks he's like a power hitter. I don't get why he gets the two strikes and then still thinks he needs to try to hit the ball out of the ballpark. It seems like he's— He should be choking up halfway up the bat when he gets the two strikes. It seems like he's pressing a little bit.

He looks lost. To be honest, like his his recognition of the strike zone where he thinks like he looks he looks completely lost yeah he's honestly it reminds me a lot of agalor in in 2016 where they had to they had to bench him i don't know i've ever seen a football player get benched it was unbelievable yeah it was like this guy's starting receiver gonna bench him but it reminds me a lot of agalor um and, he needs to figure out how to put the ball on the ground. But I do think he can still be a weapon. Really? Well, I think just in the –

Other than the speed, what else you got? That's all I got. Eighth and ninth inning, eighth and ninth inning, go steal me a bag, get on base. Right, but, like, you can't – that's a roster spot. I mean, they don't have a right-handed hitter on the bench. Like, they got nobody to bring in. I'm as good a right-handed hitter as they have on the bench. It's crazy.

I know. But regardless of what happened with Paisley, it sounds pretty serious. Yeah, I'm concerned. Yeah, the fact that he got placed on the reserve list and they're not paying him. And that Girardi was like, I don't know. I have no idea if we'll see him. It was very strange and open-ended, and you just hope he's okay. Yeah, exactly.

So we're hoping he's okay. But I would have sent down Paseley before Quinn just because I think that Quinn at least provides you value late in innings to steal a bag. And he can bat right-handed. I think that was probably... Yeah, but you can bat better right-handed than him, so I don't know if that's a good idea. That's a good point. Let's go to Washington Township and talk to Colin. Hey, Colin.

Yo, what up, guys? What's going on, man? Yo, Jack, I gotta ask you, whose weather report should we trust more right now? James Seltzer's or Bruce the Weatherman's? Well, so did James bring up earlier that he thought this game was going to get called? No, no, no, no, I blew it. At about 1130, he said that it was looking good. Oh, what a choke job.

Well, here's where I made my mistake. I looked at weather.com, and it said it wasn't going to rain until 3. You know? It was not an in-depth weather report. Well, in defense of James, they were trying to plan to start this game so that at 3 o'clock it would start raining, but they'd get the majority of it in. So James is right in line. That's what I thought.

Yeah, James is right in line with Major League Baseball, Colin. So I don't know if I can put that all in James, but Bruce is very trustworthy. I very much appreciate Bruce's weather reports. That's true. All right. But one thing I got to ask is at what point did the Phillies face like retribution from the players union for not bringing up a double Herrera because they sent them down for a quote unquote baseball reasons.

Well, Roman Quinn's about the worst professional athlete I've ever seen in my life. We've already lost Hazley. I don't expect Moniak or Kingery to necessarily be the answer. So I don't want to doble up, but I'm scared that they might actually be forced to because if they don't, they'll get sued or something.

It's a really good question, Colin, because obviously that's the whole thing with the you can't get rid of him or not play him because of the off-the-field stuff, as silly as that is, whatever. We can debate. That's a separate discussion. But a couple things work in their favor.

One, Oduble's not on the 40-man roster. So, you know, Mickey Moniak was, Kingery is. So those guys more likely get called up prior because you don't have to make corresponding roster moves. That's, like, one thing. And, look, the other thing is that, to be fair, like, Oduble has not been good. the opportunities that Oduble has been given the chances he's gotten even in spring training like he batted 220 he has been an inconsistent baseball player for a long time so

while I don't disagree that that purely baseball wise he's he's probably better than Roman Quinn obviously I don't I think anybody is but I do think that they do have a little cover there in the sense that he hasn't been good. Like, Odubel might be better than Quinn or better than what they have, and I'm not even sure he's better than Moniak, but he might be, but he's not immeasurably, he's not significantly better, and he's not performed that much better, if you know what I mean. Yeah, it's definitely not like a slam dunk that Herrera's better.

I mean, I don't think he's any good, but, I mean, what Kingery hit last year. I mean, we forget, Colin, we forget. We forget how baseball, forgetting the off the field stuff, we forget how angry Odubel Herrera made us on a week to week. Right? Like, you remember, like, bonehead plays after bonehead plays, like, not being locked in, horrible at bats, like, inconsistency across the board. So while I think that's one of the interesting things that happened with this Oduble narrative, and obviously they're separate things, the off the field and on the field stuff, but I think that because of how bad the other center fielders have been,

I think people forget just how inconsistent and how bad Oduble has been for a while now, like a few years, you know? Yeah, some people definitely do forget, but I mean, these other guys are going to get their chances, and I just hope that they play at least mediocre so we don't even have to go there, because if they're hitting 230, I mean, I'd say that's good enough to say that's better than Herrera, because he hasn't done really any better than that

since, like, what, the first half of 2018? Yeah, exactly, Colin, and great call. So, yeah, I mean, beating a.050 average right now shouldn't be that hard. It shouldn't be that hard. 2-1-5-5-9-2, 94-94. Let's go to Delco and talk to Sean. Hey, Sean. Hey, how's it going, guys?

Good, man. What's on your mind today? Not too much. I'm down in St. Louis. I'm down here. My sister's getting ready to move, so I was down here for a week helping her out, so I was listening to local sports radio here. Ah, sounds boring.

I don't know if you know there's a James Seltzer down here. What? It's on the radio. No way. Really? Is his voice as high-pitched as James, or is it like a normal voice? If you're trying to go to sleep, he'd be a good guy to listen to. Oh, okay.

Well, James does that, but it's more like wake you up. Yeah, it's the opposite. They were trashing the Philly Phanatic down here. What? That's outrageous. They had a guy come on and tell a story about the 2004 season St. Louis was playing in Philly, and one of the pitchers wanted to go i guess get something to eat at one of the you know breaks during the inning and the fanatic

started messing with him well the guy had some type of like fanny pack he was he had with him so the fanatic was like messing with him because of it and then they said he said something like really offensive to this player what so i don't know that seems like a lie yeah that seems seems outrageous story but i was like geez you know i think that i think that cardinals know they're coming to town this weekend and they're trying to get a little you know in the head games what's best for them this weekend you know what i mean yeah sean this is a great point that we should be letting the Phillies know that St. Louis is coming for the Fanatic. If you want motivation, I mean, talk about a team that didn't show up

yesterday. How could you not show up when the Fanatic is under assault? Right. I mean, that's all they're talking about is baseball and hockey. I mean, I was like, this is so addictive. No football. This is boring. It's embarrassing. Come home, Sean. Come home. That's what I had to say. Come home. Yeah. So, I mean, I wasn't too happy about it. They ended up having Ed Wade on. They had Charlie Manuel on yesterday. Wow.

Interesting. Good looking out, Sean. Thanks for the call. How about that? Thanks for the heads up. Well, I mean, listen. A little insight into St. Louis radio. Well, classic James Seltzer causing problems.

Who knew? Who knew? Not one of those names you see that often i know there's another james seltzer because sometimes my uh my email i have the dot in between my name he does not i'll sometimes get his emails right seems like he's living a great life well i kind of wish i were the other james seltzer based on the emails that i get about this guy really but he also it's all these like you know uh resorts and like all this vacation all this cool stuff i'm like well this is not meant for me but cool yeah well he also makes's all these like, you know, resorts and like all this vacation, all this cool stuff. I'm like, well, this is not meant for me, but cool.

Well, he also makes up stories about the fanatics. So, I mean, he also could be a liar. So we don't want to, you know, I don't want him to drag your name. It might not be the same one, to be fair. 2-1-5-5-9-2-9-1-9-1. Who would have thought, though? Two James Aldridge in radio. I wonder if there's a Jack Fritz out there.

No, there's there's only one Jack. Talking like twins baseball or something like that. No, I don't think so. 215592. 9494. Let's go to Monaco and talk to Ron. Ron! What's up, Ron?

Both of you guys at the same time? Can you believe it? Oh, my gosh. Hey, well, good. Good. Denzel Washington showed you Equalizer? Yeah, I love good. Good. Because what's it? Denzel Washington's show, Equalizer. Yeah, I love Equalizer. Yeah, good show.

Well, you know, the Hammer, he's got to get his own movie show. The Interrupter. That's why I figured I'd call so I can get a phone in. You know what I mean? Dang. Hey, listen. I heard the reason I called because I heard a guy say that our core, we have a very good core on this baseball team. Well, that's exactly the problem.

We don't have a good core. You know? I mean, listen, I went over the payroll, 29-man payroll last night, watching this mess last night. payroll last night, watching this mess last night, do you know they're within $150,000 of hitting a billion dollars for what we're watching?

You realize that? Overall payroll, their contracts, the 29 guys... Oh, you're talking not year by year, you're talking like overall. Oh, I got you. But 29 of them, they're almost a billion dollars. Pretty wild.

Well, Matt Klintzak did waste a lot of John Milton's money. I mean, that's true. That's true. But what's so bad about the core? I mean, one through seven in the line is pretty good. Okay, you asked me? Okay, Fritzie. Here's your core.

You've got two players that could break down at any minute. Okay? You've got a left fielder you're nursing. You've got a catcher you're nursing. You've got a less than mediocre at any minute. Okay? You've got a left fielder you're nursing. You've got a catcher you're nursing. You've got a less than mediocre first baseman. Okay? You've got a kid on third base that should be actually being over on first base, and that's your permanent first baseman.

There's no moving parts here. And you've got five guys that are supposed to be major league players that cannot take center field. Five. Yeah, they've got a huge that are supposed to be major league players that cannot take center field. Five. Yeah, they got a huge hole in center field. Okay, tell me where that happens on another major league franchise. Well, I mean, if you want. You've got five guys that you can't give center field to.

Well, the Phillies had a whole bullpen last year of guys that couldn't take down a Knicks in a bullpen. You know, you mentioned the guy's name, Klintak, okay? These guys, listen, these guys that own the Phillies are all about money, man. You know, the block doesn't stop at Middleton either. There's a board up there, okay? He just represents the board. And what they say goes, and he's just one vote, okay?

Well, but he's also the majority. He's the majority guy, though. Yeah, but he's the majority guy, but you still got to vote it. Listen, how do you start the season? First of all, you've got to get Dombrowski. For what? You've got Girardi. For what?

And his shelf life is going to be shortier. I'm telling you, if he's going to run this team the way Gabe Kapler did, after what we've been through for 11 years, he's not going to be here long. I'm telling you, if he's going to run this team the way Gabe Kapler did, after what we've been through for 11 years, he's not going to be here long. I'm telling you, this attitude of his, I gave him the benefit of the doubt last year, Fritz. I said, look, 60 games, everybody was getting upset. I'm like, no, this is Joe Girardi, man. He knows what this is.

This is a short tournament season. I said, let's wait until he has a bullpen. Let's wait for a fresh year, a normal year. Then you see what he does. And I'll tell you what, I don't like anything he's doing. I don't like – and Roman Quinn, this is his baby, okay? Because if I'm the manager of that team, that kid's in my office, and I'm bouncing him off the walls.

Ron, I'm with you, man. Great call. Look at this. If you don't get interrupted, you actually get to make some good points. Yo, you believe this? I'll try to. He takes the day off, and sits and listens to his own show, and calls in. Ron, a pleasure.

I'll talk to you tomorrow, man. Ron is something. I love Ron. He does bring up about Girardi. What is Joe Girardi good at? Tell me. What is he good at? Look, and you're listening to 94 WIPHC1 Philadelphia broadcasting through the Tasty Cake Studios. Yeah, I'm with you, man.

So far, what we've seen of Joe Girardi has not been good. Like there is not one thing you can point to and say, wow, Girardi's done a great job here. Girardi's done a great job here. No, the lineups are weird. The bullpen moves have been weird for the most part. And this team does not look like they're ready to play. Like they are not a crisp, sharp baseball team. If anything, you're going to get this guy for it. It's like, have your guys ready to play every day. So, all right, 215-592-9494. It's Fritz. It's Seltzer.

High Hopes Radio. How about that? Talk a little, Phillies. Get on 215-592-9494. We might be back. John Marks might be on. Call from Joe to camera. We're going to find out.

That's the beauty of radio. That's the beauty of radio, people. We'll find out next. Either way, stick with us. It's Fritz at Seltzer. We'll talk to you soon. It is, I guess, the WIP Midday Show, kind of? Yeah, officially.

Yeah. We're here. Yeah. I'm on the Midday Show, which sounds like a mistake. How did this end up happening? I have no idea. It took the gods. Yeah. It took the weather gods saying this is supposed to happen.

Some are saying this is Jack's big break. Who's the some there? My mom. Aw. My mom and friends. Big break. My mom and friends. 215-592-9494.

Really some high ops radio here. This is good stuff. We are talking Phillies. And look, i think less concern from jack more from me but but a team that started out five and one look like they you know really had something special cooking uh you know felt like there was was a lot going on with this team that that could kind of propel them forward and now after losing six to seven i'm questioning everything yeah but why?

Why? I'm not really. The foundation of this team is solid. They're a solid foundation. Look, but there are holes on this team. There's holes, but the big thing that's holding this team back right now is the offense. Yeah, they need a hit. Right. That is what they are built on.

That's what this team is predicated on. They're not hitting right now. But it's also 12 games into a season. The track records are there. It's too much of an overreaction. They still have hitting right now. But it's also 12 games into a season. The track records are there. It's too much of an overreaction. They still have a good 1-2-3. Chase Anderson, I think, has been good 4-5. The lineup will get together.

And we've seen so far, the bullpen is actually good. An actually good bullpen. Archie's not missing much time. They're facing the Mets Braves. They're the top two teams in the NL for a reason. The Phillies are right there with them there's been some uh coin toss games breathe easy breathe easy this is a good team okay and look I generally lean that way too I'm more I'm less

nervous rather than more nervous but I definitely think that when you look at the team there are things that this team is going to have to address if they're going to get to where we want them to go speaking of one of those things I'm going to ask Jack about it in a minute because I think it's probably the single biggest concern for Jack moving forward. We'll get into that in a sec. First, let's go to Potsdam and talk to David. Hey, Dave. Hey, how we doing, guys? Good, man. How are you? Good. So a couple things about the Phillies. Obviously the center field is a huge concern. But I think, in my opinion, what they're going to do is just basically give every single one of those guys a shot down into the minor leagues until they can figure out something that happens.

And if they don't, by the trade deadline, they'll have to make a move to get somebody who's at least, I mean, all we're looking for by now is 250. I mean, something. 250 would be a dream, David, at this point. That's what I'm saying. You got to get somebody. So, I mean, it'll be something until the trade deadline. Bryce Harper can't touch an outside pitch.

Does he not realize he needs to move like three, four inches closer to the plate? It blows my mind. I don't know if I'm the only one that's noticed that. But anything on the outside corner, he is off by two to three, four inches. Yeah, I think with Bryce, what you're seeing there is Bryce is just not looking for that pitch to drive it because he knows he can't do anything with it. Because he's so far away from the plate, though. Yeah, because he's trying to get a ball middle to middle in that he can actually do damage with.

He knows that side of the plate he can't do anything with. He has to make that adjustment because pitchers are going to find that hole and they're going to continue to exploit it. But I think that's his thought process. I can't do anything with that pitch anyway. I might as well look for my pitch middle to middle and look to do some damage. Well, the fact that that's his thought process brings me to my third point, because Joe Girardi as a manager needs to tell him, hey, they're putting the shift on you. Third base and the whole left side of the infield is wide open.

Move closer. And if it's outside, just throw your hands at the ball. And we did. And good call, Dave. We did see him do that against the Mets a couple games ago during the doubleheader. He just kind of slapped it to the left side. You don't pay Bryce Harper $25 million a year to slap the ball the other way. I agree.

I got annoyed when that bunt hit the other day. It was a perfect bunt. Like, he might be the best bunter on the team, which is hilarious. But I don't want him bunting ever. I'm 100% with you. But what I am concerned about, and I think you have mentioned this as your biggest concern, but again, you are less concerned in general about this team. The defense is a real problem.

I mean, they are a very bad defensive baseball team. And when we came into the season, I brought this up on our podcast, High Hopes. Check it out. iTunes, Spotify, all that good stuff. Wherever you get your podcasts. At High Hopes, spot on Twitter. Check us out. I mentioned you, High Hopes. Check it out. iTunes, Spotify, all that good stuff. Wherever you get your podcasts. At High Hopes, spot on Twitter. Check us out. I mentioned you on High Hopes. I said to you, I was like, this defense

could be a real problem. When you look at the numbers, and I think defensive analytics are a very hit or miss, but they've been one of the worst defensive teams in baseball the last couple years by all the analytical measures, any measure you can look at, you were less concerned. You said, you know what, I know they're not good,

but I don't think it's going to be actively bad and hurt the team. Have you changed your opinion on that? I have, and if there's one thing that I think could sink this team, I don't think it's center field, I don't think it's the starting pitching, and I don't think it's the bullpen. I think the bullpen's going to be good, but the defense is

really concerning because they give up and out every single night. Every single night, they're making their pitchers work extra because of their defense, whether or not they're making errors or not, or it's not being able to get the balls. Like, Didi looked like he's aged five years. It's unbelievable. He can't get to anything. And he's not even, first of all, also the arm. Like, what happened to the arm?

Like, routine plays, they're getting beat because of the arm, and then he keeps double clutching and keeps bobbling. He is so not sure-handed. Yeah, I'm actually worried he might have the yips a little bit. It looks like it. I mean, how many double clutches have we seen? Multiple, like three or four already. Yeah, it's not great with Didi, and he looks slower.

We all freaked out about the over-the-shoulder catch and all that. What a play. Well, maybe that's because he couldn't get there to make the actual play. Maybe we should factor that in. Centerfield, I mean, the Haseley ball the other day was ridiculous. I mean, a centerfielder has to make that catch. Unbelievable.

It was right at him, all that stuff. Boehm's been pretty good. I think he's actually been better than we thought he was going to be, but still below average. Hoskins has been awful. I thought Hoskins was a much better defensive player last year. He's taken a step back. Once a game, it feels like they have a chance to get a turn double play, and he simply boots it.

He is definitely taking a step back, and it makes you question his future, even with the DH coming next year. But Kutchin, you know, he's the Kutchin. He can't get to the balls like he used to. Bryce has been fine. But, yeah, I'm actually – I thought the defense wasn't going to kill him. I didn't think it was going to be great. But, I mean, through a week and a half here, it has definitely killed him.

That's the one thing that if I'm projecting something going forward that I'm most worried about. Yeah. And, yeah, I mean, like, again, JT Romero is the only above-average defender on the team. I mean, that's pretty wild. 2-5, 5-9, 2-94, 94. Let's go to Garnet Valley and talk to Tom.

Hey, buddy. How you been? Good, guys. Well, not so good, but hey, I'm here and talking to my two favorite producers. What's up, Tom? Hey, and by the way, Jack, I was all for you pitching 80 miles an hour at the Phillies. I totally think

you got jobs. Yeah, I mean, listen. I was able to warm up. Yeah, listen, I didn't get to warm up. I had to sprint there because I had to park a mile away. There was a lot of wind in my face, I think, and I still hit 79.5 miles an hour, which in this household we round up. Yeah, exactly. Well, listen, if you ever do that again, I'll come with you. I'll warm you up.

That's fine. All right, Tom, I appreciate it. We'll do it again, and I won't let you down like I let everyone down the first time. Oh, no. You're all right, man. Listen, if I could get up to 79.5, that'd be a frickin' miracle. Are you kidding? But anyway, James, so I like this podcast that you guys are running,

High Hopes Radio. Can I be the third silent partner with you? Sure, Tom. The producer, Tom. Yes, I could do that yes uh but anyway um that would probably be high hopes you'd have to teach me a few things but that's okay uh listen as far as uh roman quinn just one comment i could hit better than he can and i'm a left-handed bat so uh anyway he's not being good but But my concern is something Mitch Williams said not too long ago,

maybe two or three weeks ago, that Aaron Nola is a couple throws from a Tommy John surgery. Uh-oh. And something about his mechanics. And Jackson, too, pitched more than I did. More than all of us, I would say, yeah. Yeah, right. I think he was talking about his arm motion

and how it might lend itself to Tommy Johnson. Well, there was a lot of concerns with him coming in about that. Because he puts his elbow out in front of his, lets his arm catch up, and that's how he creates the whipping action, and that puts a lot of stress on your elbow. So I think that was the concern with it. Now I will say, his average fastball

velocity the other night was like 92. It was noticeable. It was like, what is happening right now? Because he had been 94, 95 and to see that now it could be the cold, could be whatever but it's definitely something to monitor. That velo dip going forward but overall he's been healthy with

the arm. It was a concern coming out. But I can't quote or talk about Tommy John yet because I don't think it's there yet. Well, he does concern. He goes through. You're right. He goes through this every year. There's a spell where he's not pitching great. His fastball isn't sharp enough to make his other pitches more effective,

which I think, in my view, that's the type of pitcher he is. He's not going to overpower you. He's going to try to get you to swing at bad stuff. Well, that's why a lot of people don't think he's an ace because a lot of people think an ace has to be a guy that's 96, 97, that can power you away and get a strikeout with a fastball. And Nola's just not that guy. Nola's not that guy. Nola's not that guy.

He's never been that guy. Very good pitcher. I think he's a top-ten pitcher in baseball over the last three years. I mean, if you look at ERA, he's like 11. So that's like right below ace-ace. Yeah. Thanks for the call, Tom. Great call.

Yeah, he's just not an ace-ace. He's not a capital-A ace. He's a lower ace. He's a Hamels ace. Yeah, exactly. He's a Hamels ace. It's a lower. He's a Hamels ace. Yeah, exactly. He's a Hamels ace. It's a very good comp. And to the Tommy John thing, I think that's, you know, look, he's been, it's not like anything's

changed with Aaron Nola. He's pitched the way he's pitched for his entire career and he's made it to now healthy. So you can only assume or hope that it'll continue. And maybe at some point it'll wear out. Who knows? But I'm not concerned about that. And look, for a guy like, let's be real, whether we like it or not, when it's warmer

out, the dude's better, right? I mean, he just pitches better in the heat. Listen, Louisiana guy. Warm weather, no. Now, that doesn't make me feel great about, you know, September. Playoffs, no. September or the playoffs. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But in those middle months when it's 85 to 90 and it's dripping with humidity, no one's

better than Aaron Nola. All right, let's go to Princeton and talk to Billy T. William! Wow, man, you guys got me fired up. I'm getting ready to go to the gym. Uh-oh. All you had to do was jump on Joe Girardi. That's right. Yeah, bring it, Billy.

Tell us why we're wrong about Girardi. Listen, here's the difference. They're using the whole field at home plate. They struck out 17 times in the doubleheader. Stop it, Jack. Stop it. They're using the whole field. They're starting to use the whole field.

The other night, Segura hit the ball behind the runner. Advanced the serve. We won the game on it. We've lost tight games against good pitchers. Give me a break. We're 6-6. It's early in the year. Are you out of your mind? You'd go to a gentleman's club and say,

geez, with a fistful of 50s, throw your hands up in the air and go, wow, there's no 11s here. I mean, come on. Don't know if I can relate to that one, Billy. I think that, look, I think Joe Girardi's been a very good manager in baseball. He's a World Series winner. He's done a lot of good stuff.

But you can't look at, and look, I'm not damning him for this season, but you can't say through 12 games he's done a good job. He hasn't. Jimmy, come on. He hasn't. Billy, I love him. I'm a supporter supporter i'm not out on gerardi but he's done a bad job this team isn't ready to play billy james why do you think we have these reliefs do you think it's because a little uh maddie clintock was there or debrowski came in late gerardi knows

who the players are we got three flamethrowers a set-up guy in Brogdon who's outstanding. He's my favorite reliever on the team, but what does that have to do with Girardi's decision? Wait a second, James. It's early in the year. I know. I'm not saying he's bad. I'm saying he's done a bad job.

Jack, no, he hasn't done a bad job. Players have to perform. Players have to play. Players have to play. Players have to hit the ball, throw it, catch it. And pitchers have to throw strikes. Well, players didn't have to do that. Or Gabe Kapler, where's the double standard? What do you mean? Gabe Kapler?

Gabe Kapler sucks. But why? He's already done a lot of the same things this year, Billy. Of course he has. Like, defending his players ad nauseum. Billy, alright, right, Billy. Billy. If Gabe Kapler had come out in that Braves game for a second mound visit, a penalty that made him have to take his starting pitcher out of the game,

we would have never stopped talking about it. Girardi, no one mentioned again. That was on Girardi. That was a massive mistake. He had to take his pitcher out of the game because he didn't know the rules, man. Or didn't remember the rules in the moment. Like, if it were Gabe Kapler, he would be getting murdered for that. James, you're correct on that.

I did not see that game, so I can't comment. But I'm going to take you, you know, on your word on that. And that is wrong. I'd be pissed off. If I was sitting in the lounge chair throwing down a cold one. That's right. No question. But listen, Girardi hasn't done a bad job.

He's got these guys mentally set. Why? How? How? I mean, they were pathetic yesterday, Billy. After getting swept in a doubleheader, they didn't show up. They had three hits and 14 strikeouts. That's one game, guys.

Are you kidding me? They lost 6-7, Bill. Bill, they've lost 6-7. We have 149 games to play. Again, and I'm with you, and I love you kidding me? They've lost 6-7, Bill. Bill, they've lost 6-7. We have 149 games to play. Again, and I'm with you, and I love you, Billy. Good call. I'm not sounding the panic alarm. I'm not saying, oh, no.

It sounds like you are. No, I'm just saying you've got to be real, right? Like, you can't say Girardi's done a good job this year. You could say, I think Girardi will be fine. I think he needs some time to figure out who he's got and work him in and understand, blah, blah, blah, all that. Like, you can say whatever. You can't say that through the first 12 games he's got and work him in and understand blah blah blah. You can say whatever. You can't say that through the first 12 games Joe Girardi's done a good job because he has.

Also, listen. I appreciate fundamental baseball, but you're not winning games by... You can win some games by getting a runner over to third and get him home, but hit some dingers. That is true. Guys need to start hitting. I think they have three extra base hits in their last three games total.

Great. Everything's fine. No, but that's the point. Getting guys to hit behind runners is not going to make you a playoff team. It's going to help you win games. It'll help you late in the season and playoff games. You need to be able to show that you can do that stuff. But it comes down to hitting the ball out of the ballpark and putting up runs and putting up

crooked numbers. And you're not doing that by getting guys over. If Joe Girardi was holding these guys accountable and getting them to play such a high level, and they're immensely locked in, Roman Quinn's not stealing third base with two outs, with Reese Hoskins at the plate. Jose Alvarado doesn't know which base to turn to. I mean, that's

a miscommunication. That's something that they have to iron out. Those guys not knowing where to go with mean, that's a miscommunication. That's something that they have to iron out. Those guys not knowing where to go with the ball when it's hit to them. So, like, I hope that he's holding them accountable. I hope it's different behind closed doors. I thought the JoJo Romero move last night was his first time we've really seen Girardi hold players accountable. But the way he talks in the postgame, it's a lot like how Gabe talked,

where it was like, no, everything's fine. Like, we'll get this figured out and all that stuff. And that led to another September collapse last year, and September collapse is under Gabe. So you hope that there's a little bit more sense of urgency with this team, and you hope that Bryce Harper set that last night a little bit.

Yeah, and it led to Gabe Kaeper being out of this city. Well, I mean, Middleton said in that press conference, the reason he's gone is because of September's. And then last year under Joe Girardi, they couldn't win one extra game in the last week of the year to get them into the postseason. It's a great point, Jack.

And again, like, I am not saying I'm out on Girardi. I'm not saying he's a bad manager. I'm just saying we got to be fair. If we're going to criticize Kepler for this stuff, then guess what? We should criticize Girardi when he's doing the exact same thing. Let's go to Downingtown and talk to Chad. Chad, you're on WIP. What's up, guys? How you doing? What's up, Chad?

Not much, man. I'm not overly concerned about the team. It's early in the season, but I am getting a little concerned about Bo. Especially at the dish. He's hitting 230, striking these right through fastballs,

and you always kind of see that in the second year in the MLB is these pitchers start to figure you out as a hitter. I mean, it even happened to Alonzo last year. So that's my main concern right now is Alec Boehm. Yeah, I mean, he is striking out more than we have seen. The thing that's nice about Boehm is he has, we've seen so far, they adjust quickly. He makes pretty quick adjustments, and he does hate to strike out.

Like, he's one of those throwback players that actually takes offense to striking out. He's got a little bit unlucky, too. Like, Miguel Castro the other day threw a nasty slider down the zone. Like, there's not so many. Like, the best hitters in the world can't do anything with that pitch. But he's shown a good gap-to-gap approach that, like, I just think he's going to figure out, and I trust him. And even though he's bad at 230, he's hit a lot of balls hard.

I go back to Saturday night where he hit the ball to the wall off of whatever, and Acuna made the catch over his head. Like, that ball was tattooed, and it would have tied the game. It was just kind of one of those unlucky things. I think he's still hitting the ball hard. You're seeing him use all fields. The strikeouts are concerning. I'm with you, but overall not a huge concern level on Boehm. Yeah, that's true.

I think you guys are 100% right with the fact that we played the Mets and the Braves start the year. We've seen the absolute best pitching in the game. That's going to be the division the whole year, but when you're getting it concentrated in back-to-back-to-back series, it's tough to do as a hitter. So, I mean, I think we'll be okay when it starts to warm up,

get some Charlie hitting season going. Right. But for right now, I'm not too worried. Just kind of see what happens. Yeah, and Chad, I think that's the right approach, and thanks for the call. I do think, again, like we can, as we talked about before, like you do need to react in the moment to what's happening. And that's part of the fun of baseball is to sometimes overreact,

sometimes get too excited or too down about something. But it is fair to say that the team we saw for the 5-1 start looks very different from the last 1-5. And you need to at least talk about it. They need to fix the road woes. It's unbelievable. Again, for those who weren't listening when we started, Jack, tell them that since 2018, 77 and 119.

77 and 119 on the road. Like, that is – you have to figure out how to win the road if you're going to win 85 to 90 games. Like, you play only 81 games at home. You're not going to go undefeated at home. So you've got to figure out how to win some games on the road. And you can't have the mental breakdowns that they have on the road. I mean, all of their big mental mistakes over the last couple of years

outside of the pop-up to the Orioles last year, all the meltdowns, the straight-up meltdowns that would keep us up at night, they all happen on the road. Wasn't that one in Baltimore, too, I think? No, the pop-up was here. They all happen on the road. Wasn't that one in Baltimore too, I think? No, the Papa was here. The Papa was here. But other than that, they've always just came up small on the road. And I

said earlier, and I'll say it again, I don't think they have the right guys to win on the road. They don't have the guys that can create their own energy. Especially when the ballparks are empty pretty much. You have to create your own energy. That's why they always sucked when they went to Miami the last couple years. Because there's no fans there to get juiced or anything there's nothing to kind of play off of so they have to create their own energy and right now

they can't create their own energy because they don't have a guy that can kind of get them going because they're all kind of stoic and go about their business and they're professionals but they're not they're not guys that are going to be like oh rob we got to go and ultimately that comes down i think that joe gerardi being able to get them going. And he hasn't shown the ability to do that so far. And that's why you have to call him out for it. Like, this is on Girardi. Like, they are not showing up in these spots.

All right, let's go to Lancaster and talk to Andre. Hey, Andre. Hey, what's going on, guys? What's up, Dre? Not much. A couple things here. First thing, I think we are are making we acted like the centerfield position was like stellar from the point it's like we knew what we were getting from the get-go

um roman quinn sucks i mean he's he's a blade uh he's gonna trip over the grass and be out for you know six to eight weeks and an injury here in a little bit. And it's like, I just feel like we should have gave the young kid a chance. And yeah, it just, it's just kind of frustrating because I feel like we knew what we were getting with the center field position from the get-go. Yeah. Look, I think that was the, the,

when we all talked about our concerns heading into the season, I think that was a lot of people's biggest or one of their biggest concerns. And, and look, I think that was the, when we all talked about our concerns heading into the season, I think that was a lot of people's biggest or one of their biggest concerns. And look, I think Dave Dombrowski knew too, right? We heard all those rumors about Jackie Bradley Jr. Are they going to go get him and stuff? They didn't end up doing that, but I think organizationally they knew that it was a hole too. The other thing I thought was, we know what Adubo was. When the guy's hot, he's hot.

But like you said, he has so many cold moments. He has so many low lows. And, you know, I know people are whatever about his whole situation, but I feel like they maybe could have used him in a way where it was like, hey, when he's hot, play him and

kind of pair him with maybe Mickey Moniac and give Mickey majority of the reps and then kind of bring in a Dubois if needed. But I don't know. It's kind of my take. No, I get it. And, Andre, thanks for the call. It's an interesting thought. They're both left-handed, which is right off the bat.

In a platoon situation, it doesn't make a ton of sense. Not great. Not great. Not ideal. Not what I'm looking for. Listen, Mickey has his chance right now. I mean, Haseley seems like he's not coming back. Kingery, they want to

make sure he's right. Roman Quinn is obviously unplayable. And Girardi said today pregame that, listen, he's here. He's got to perform. I mean, just like me getting my big break, I mean, this could be Mickey's big break. I mean, look at us. Look at us, me and Nick. Look at us! By the way,

have you seen Jackie Bradley Jr.'s stats? No. Are they bad? Oh, dude. Batting 154 with a 195 OBP. Obviously, the defense would be elite. But also, I mean, I'm with you. 154, though, is that much better than running wide?

100 points higher. All I'm saying, would have fit right in. Would have fit right in with a center field problem. He would still be batting eighth, but we would have to pay him the money that the Brewers ended up paying him. Sure, sure. Good old JBJ. And look, especially for Dombrowski coming into this situation

and having to re-sign JT and re-sign Didi and do all these other things, you're just not going to be able to – if you're not going to just go over the luxury tax, if that were not an issue, which it clearly is, by the way they manage it, they've gone right up against it, clearly an issue, at least for right now. If you're not going to go over the luxury tax, then guess what? There's going to be holes. Because, as you said before,

they're in a situation where Matt Klintax bet a lot of money poorly. And as a result, you got some bloated books. $800 million of John Middleton's money. Great. And Jake Arrieta is back to pitching okay in Chicago.

Awesome. And he's not throwing the shortstop under the bus in his first ever start. So that's a good start for Jakey. Just wait. Just wait, Chicago. Don't worry. He'll give it to you. So I think that's it for us, Frenzy. I mean, I could have kept going.

I know. Well, you'll stay. No, I know. Now I got to do four hours with John and Ike after my big break. Yeah. Are you going to be able to handle that? I know. Quite the immediate demotion.

See, and demotion is one thing, but the immediate demotion, the like moment, within moments demoted. I know. But the problem is that my head's not going to fit through this door. So I don't know if I'm going to make my way to the producing studio. But yes, I will go back in there and everything's going to be great. We've got a great show planned, James. I can't wait, buddy. An impromptu Marks and Reese today.

It's my favorite kind, I think, of Marks and Reese. Yeah? Yeah. I agree. Hey, do you think, which is harder in sports real quick, a 7-10 split or a hole-in-one? Oh, wow. That's a great question. I mean, so I'm like the worst golfer in the history of the planet,

so for me it would definitely be a hole-in-one. Like I bowled enough where like maybe I got lucky and it bounced a certain way. But for the pros, like the best of the best, it's a great one. Probably a hole-in-one still. But it's really close. Oh, because, you know, one has to be a sport, and bowling's not. Alright. Stay

tuned. Marks and Reese are coming up next. A little High Hopes Radio for you now. Jack Fritz's Big Break. Check out our pod, High Hopes Pod. It's a lot of fun talking baseball. Thank you to Dan Wilson, coming in from the Leaf Panamera. I know, seriously. Well, it's also Dan's Big Break.

A lot of big breaks around here. It's just a producer show right now. So thanks for tuning in. I'm sure Mark's Reese talking Phillies and a whole lot more. So if you're on the line, stay there.

I'm sure they'll get to you and otherwise, get in now, 215-592-9494 for Fritz. I'm Seltzer. Thanks for listening to us. Coming up next... That was a quick hour for me, i don't know about you i'm i am exhausted it was tough i'm exhausted i mean listen it was it's been a long day i mean first off a 12

o'clock phillies game means i gotta get here you had to come in early yes yes and oh by the way everyone you know inside baseball jack loves to do the So I've never produced an actual Phillies game. Like, obviously, the way the way the show works, I'm never like, if anything, like it's the end of my show or whatever. So Jack loves to do the text. Hey, I'm not going to be in in time. You got to start the Phillies game text, which is just just awesome. It's really great.

It's very involved. There's a lot to do for a Phillies game. I would have the first idea of how to start it. The best part about it is it gets you every time. Every time. It's actually the worst part about it. It's the sad, embarrassing on my part about it that I am so gullible with this every time. Every time.

Not once have you ever not come in. Not once has there ever been a situation where you're like, hey, I'm not going to be in on time. You got to do this. But you actually weren't going to be in on time. And yet still, every time. That little heart drop feeling. It does. It really does.

I know. I know. I'm so sorry. But it is a funny reaction when I just walk in. Because I like walking in and making it like a presence. Like, I'm here. Don't worry. Everything's fine.

Don't worry. Got you. Yes. Yes. So, yeah. Yeah, it's been a long one. That was fun, man. I'm here, you know, don't worry. Everything's fine. Don't worry. Got you. Yes. Yes. So yeah. Yeah. It's been a long, it was fun,

man. I'm really happy we got to do that. That was super fun. Now, um, powers that be, uh, Spike asking,

let's do it again. Oh, listen, that'd be cool. I mean, listen, let us do it again. I mean,

it was fun. We had a good time. Some say that, uh, you know, both Mick and I's career started on the same day. Oh, yeah. Wow. Yup. That is good. Both Mick and I's career started on the same day. Oh! Yeah!

Wow! Yep. This is good stuff right here. Yep. Brothers in arms. Listen. Oh, good. Listen.

Two young guys. Two former... No, I'm just kidding. I got to take that part out. Two guys that have been slept slept on you know that haven't been uh you know two guys that people haven't believed in you know but there has been a certain people that are like you know what that's my guy that's how i felt uh doing the show today you know that they're they're somehow somewhere out there someone has a hashtag going of why not fritz

and uh well we did get some actually there were a couple tweets not that i'm a big mentions guy but i saw a couple really nice ones who were like fans so i appreciate it you made my day if you were one of those people who tweeted at us saying how much you liked it you made my day so you know i agree it was a good day and if you were one of the people who really mean about it yes didn't make my day and i hate you one guy one guy was really mad and i was really mean and i said it was a mean one i sent him a i sent him a frowny face i saw i just decided to ignore it but i love well those are the ones i respond to because like i think it's funny but whatever it's like why are you listening then pal yeah well listen listen some some people don't

like my my top fives at five. I'm sorry that I have to rank important things like worst fruit. I don't understand how anyone could not like the top five at five. It's like one of those things that I would think should have unanimous approval. It's just enjoyable. And it's not long. It's not like it's some big ask of people's time. It's fun. It's jovial. Get with it yeah yes all right all right so um a couple things yes uh let we're gonna do the take bag

and we're gonna get out of here obviously it's already been a long pod um a different one but a long one uh quick things uh you just mentioned it but like i know we talked about a little on the radio but like and you've been like seriously why not nick that's right why not nick we freaking did it and you don't want like the hazley stuff i i'm i'm super concerned yes about him like you don't want to see it it see who knows we don't know like gerardi was so cryptic about it we're like we don't know if this ever guy's ever going to play baseball again. Like who knows? There's clearly something going on. And I am just a hundred. We are both a hundred percent hopeful that this guy's just okay. And,

and can live his life and whatever. But you know, once we get past the Haisley part of it, like fricking Mickey Moniacs in the majors. And I couldn't be more excited about Jack. And I'm not going to say that this podcast is the reason for it but i'm also not gonna not say that you know what i'm saying yeah well and the next thing is is he's got to wear the the the shirt on the jersey oh buddy oh buddy i will faint my heart my heart jack My heart, Jack. Would stop?

Is that what you're saying? Yeah. Yeah. Or it would explode or something. Okay. I thought I might have lost you there. No, I was actually worried that your heart just stopped in that second that you didn't talk.

I am pretty old, Jack, so I did something to worry about. Right. Right. So, I mean, glad to see you're still here, still kicking. But yeah, that was a scary moment for the pod with my lost seltzer i thought seltzer was gone um but uh but yeah dude i need him to need him to wear it under the jersey and that's that would be like and just like you know flow it out and you know just just just what you're saying is hit a walk off home run run around the bases hop on home plate rip rip the jersey open,

and flash the IHOPs. That's what we want. If you want to talk about dying in peace, I would be so happy. On the spot, just I'm good. We're done. We did it. Yep.

It's over. It's all good. Well, yeah, it's a good feeling for Mickey to be here. Obviously, Haseley, he wanted everything to be okay. But, yes, he's going to play a lot. I mean, Gerardi said that today in the pregame show. So he's going to play a lot, and we're going to see a lot of Mickey. And, yeah, I hope he – listen, best case scenario for this team

is he takes it and runs. Yeah, without question. Like, again, like, first of all, just on a basic level for this franchise, like, Mickey Moniak was the first pick in the draft. Like, there is nothing they want more than for him to be successful, for him to validate that decision. Even if it was a Klintac decision, even if it's a different front office running. Like, as an organization, you want that decision to be validated. But even more so, to your point, I mean, like, man, you could not, if you're Mickey Moniac, be walking into a spot where a team needs more help at a position.

Like, the bar is so low, which gives him a chance to really step in. And I don't think the pressure's on him in the same way it could be for another guy stepping into a spot because the bar is so low. And if he can not just exceed that bar but but really start to get something going it would be like a franchise altering type of thing jack like it could be that massive and again i we need to see him go out and do it and stuff but like the potential is so high if mickey can really give them something yes and uh um last thing before we get out of here uh i think you should tag joe to camera in the tweet and say uh joe to care makes his high hopes debut and see how it's a great point how confused he is yes that's a really you're right see now the real problem with this is assuming he's going to see

the tweet right um but joe's joe's stealth checks his mentions guy. Like, he's always bringing up tweets he saw on the show, and every once in a while I'll see him in my mentions replying to someone and stuff. So I think Joe, a little more into Twitter than he likes to let people think. That's my take, at least. Except he won't follow me on Twitter. Yeah, that's pretty messed up,

which everyone just heard about. Yes. Everyone just heard about that, yeah. That's messed up. Yeah, everyone just heard about. Yes. Everyone just heard about that. Yeah. That's messed up. Yeah. It's a whole thing here. I can tell. It bothers you.

No. It drives me crazy. Yeah. I don't care if anyone follows me. It is generally my- I know. I get it. Thought on these types of things.

I'm with you, man. Let me put it this way. Because I know how much you care, I will make it a point to try and help thank you i'll try and help this a little maybe i'll just there are many times where joe to camera will say hey i don't know how to use this app or hey i don't know how to fill out this thing on my phone can you help me and he will just hand me his phone maybe i'll just sneak in there yeah we'll follow i'm even knowing i like that i like that then you come back and be like joe you follow me guess what you already did yeah no i didn't come back and be like, Joe, you follow me? Guess what? You already did.

No, I didn't. And you'll be like, well, check your phone. Yeah, but you know what that opens it up to, James? What's that? The unfollow. And that would hurt more. I mean, that would be tough, man. That would be tough.

You're right. That would be really tough. I know. All right. I don't know what to do here. I'm torn. All right. Yeah. Yeah. I think we'll what to do here. I'm torn. All right. Yeah.

Yeah. I think we'll get through it. Yes, we will. I think you'll be able to survive if he doesn't follow you. I mean, and to be real, like, do you really want Joe following you? Yeah, I know. It's a clout thing. It's a clout thing.

I'm verified. Who cares? Well, neither am I. I know. Has it become like a badge of honor for people to not be verified? Yeah, I don't really want to be verified. Yeah, at this point, if I weren't, which I am, obviously, but if I weren't at this point, I would definitely not want to be.

Like, in hindsight, if I weren't already, I'd be like, whatever, I don't care. It's stupid. I almost think it's cooler not to have it. Do you think the James Salter in St. Louis is verified? Oh, how about that? How about that? I did not see that call coming. I was actually floored by it because I've yet to see another James Seltzer

other than the guy whose emails I get. So I was floored by that. In sports radio, no less. How about it? Pretty shocking. It is pretty shocking. Cardinal Series, two of three? Well, you have to, right? Pretty shocking. So, uh, Cardinal series two of three. Yeah.

Well, you have to, right? I mean, like you don't technically have to, but, but you have to for all of us. For our standards. You got the Giants coming in after that. Gabe coming back to Philadelphia. Should have never, should have never, should have never let him go. To be fair. I mean, he's already in the Phillies dugout every game anyway.

Right. I mean, yeah. Should never let him go. Gabe Girardi. Yep. Some are saying that. All right, what else you got? I got nothing else.

I got nothing else. It's long enough. I do have one more thing. Okay. Actually, so I'm actually drinking wine right now, which is usually I go beer, right? I'm a big beer guy, as you know. But tonight it felt like i

should drink some wine i'll just let everyone a little sip here right and um riveting the re the reason i'm drinking wine is people might not know this but in the year 2009 jim nance partnered with wine producer peter douche do it yeah i think you have had some wine starting a private wine label called The Calling and I just wanted to let Jim know that I'm supporting him do you think he's going to get more into wine now that he resigned might not

maybe it might be his whole thing yeah you're right he could really turn this wine thing into a big business well listen all I hope is that Jim lands on his feet. This was fun today, buddy. I'm happy we got the chance to do it. It was cool. Yeah.

Agreed. Okay. I hope everyone liked it. I know it's different, but I hope it works. And we love you guys. And the High Hopes Radio, there'll be more. I believe, Jack. I'm putting out in the universe more High Hopes Radio there'll be more I believe Jack I'm putting out in the universe more High Hopes Radio in the future

I hope so High Hopes right you see what I did there sure now I get it I wasn't quick to it I thought this podcast was over and you made this podcast

we'll see you later Yeah, now I get it. I wasn't quick to it. I thought this podcast was over, and he made this podcast. He's Prince of Seltzer. 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 is 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.