High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - We Are a Peanut Chews Podcast

Episode Date: June 3, 2021

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz react to the Phillies 17-run barrage. Plus, the guys play you portion of the now legendary Peanut Chews live broadcast, do the Takebag, and 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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Hot Cloud Storage on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the high hopes podcast. It's a bunch of baseball nerds talking about the Phillies on radio.com and sports radio, 94 W Y P. It's another edition of the High Hopes podcast. Jack Fritz, if the Phillies score 17 runs, I'll give them a yo. They deserve a yo, Jack Fritz.

They scored 17 runs. Where were you when bird poop changed the Phillies season? That's what I'm wondering, James. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, none of that. Why? None of that.

Why? Where were you when the High Hopes live show changed the Phillies season? That's what I'm wondering, James. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no Peanutshoes, I mean, the results are the results. They scored 17 runs. We had a Facebook Live sponsored by Goldenberg's Peanutshoes. I think we need to do another one. And if this propels the Phils into a first place, you know, they go on a little bit of a run here. I think we need to do another one. So this is on them now. Yeah, it's on them. And for those who don't know, Jack ate 13 peanut chews.

He felt it. The under. Yeah, yeah. The under hit. And it turned out that 18 and a half was literally impossible for you. That was a lot of peanut chews. And they were very good. It was just I got to the point where I was like, this is a lot of candy.

This is a lot of candy. So, yeah, I choked. It was not a good performance. and somehow the phillies scored more runs than peanut chews consumed that that's actually amazing like if we had gone in and said who does like the line is not 18 and a half it's more phillies runs tonight or fred's peanut chews a hundred percent of people would have said you would have won. Like 100%. I know. I know. And the Phillies took that personally.

A bird pooped on them. And they went on a little bit of a, it was a fun laugh of a game. You know, Matt Joyce broke the unwritten rules and hit a grand slam for no reason. But whatever. Tony La Russa, I heard, actually flew in, slapped Matt Joyce in the face, and then flew out. Yeah. So weird. You have to do that to maintain order in Major League Baseball.

Yes, yes. All right. Speaking of that Facebook Live event that changed the Phillies season. Yeah, I hope. Now, this is a direct message to the people that put together the Phillies video yearbook. I know that your takeaway from two nights ago is going to be the bird poop change the Philly season. I would just like the person that puts together the Philly's yearbook to say also the high hopes podcast sponsored by Goldenberg's,

Pinochew's Facebook live also changed the fortunes of the Philly season. Yeah. We just want our due. I mean, I mean, we got Bryce here. We got Bryce here. We got them to re-sign JT. I mean, we got Brian here. We got Bryce here. We got them to re-sign JT.

I mean, we got Brian Barber here for them. We got Caleb Cotham here for them. I mean. We're this close to getting Jim Nance here to call the game. That's right. Well, we don't want to disrespect some people here. So Jim might have to wait his turn. We would never.

We would never. But, you know, we do a lot for the Phillies, and I would just like a shout-out in the Phillies video yearbook. Yeah, I think it's fair. All right, speaking of this, Momentous, High Hope's Facebook live show, let's call it Momentous, legendary, whatever you want to, you know, important. Important's a word.

That's a word. Right. You'll get to hear some of that. legendary whatever you want to you know important importance of word that's a word right uh you'll get you'll get to hear some of that uh about uh 26 minutes ish somewhere in that range yeah you already got a little bad after yeah that was when all the questions happened after so you get to hear us give all the takes that the third of the season june 1st takes prior uh you will miss all the awesome jim nance comments we got but shout out to everyone who commented about jim nance i love you with all my heart um so we're gonna play that in a minute

uh but first uh jack uh and then we'll do a take back after we're here but um 17 to 3 quickly any look that i think we can all agree having two off days and by the way it's supposed to rain in philly tomorrow so fingers crossed but two off days. And by the way, it's supposed to rain in Philly tomorrow, so fingers crossed. But having two off days after a 17-run barrage was not ideal. But can this carry forward at all? Can this be a bats-come-alive game that has any staying power, buddy? Yeah, obviously. Of course it does.

Gosh, these last two days have been brutal. Like, it's so funny because when you watch them every night, you're like, oh, this is miserable. And then they're gone, and it's like, I need them. I need them back. Now, to be fair, it was after that game. We're like, oh, we need them back. If it had been the day before after the 11-1 game, we're like, eh,

take some time. Yeah. Take a few days. Yeah, but when you're hot, you're hot, and the Phillies are clearly hot right now. So, you know what's funny, though, is that we've done this before, right? Where we're like, oh, this is the thing that's going to turn them around. You know, the Harper and Rant slam.

It's like, well, if they don't go on a run now, then they're never going to go on a run. And there's a couple moments last year, even this year, where it's like, all right, there it is. Like, what if the bird poop is the thing that turns them around? I mean, crazier things have happened. I got to just – listen, the offensive thing, it could carry them forward. You know, I guess they kind of went into it. You know, they washed away May. May was brutal.

The thing is, like, they could play well in June, but, like, their offense is a – or their schedule is a gauntlet. It's brutal, Jack. It's honestly up until the All-Star break. The schedule is brutal. Next week we get to go to Los Angeles and San Francisco!

A week from Monday we get to go out west. That should be great. The last time the Phillies were out West, McCutcheon-Doors ACL? Is that what I remember? I mean, it was definitely the last year they were out West. I don't know if they had another West Coast trip. That was in May.

So you would think maybe they had a West Coast trip later in the season, but I don't remember. But, yeah, I can't wait. Although, I mean, that's going to be some late nights. But, as i always say real ones stay up for the late game so uh i will be there i will be very excited to be there i love west coast games so whatever but like i do not i used to i know and then you get and then you turn up early jack and then you turn 50 sleep in come in whenever you want i gotta get up at six in the

morning jack so not a fan I get up at 7 Well that's on my choice So I could definitely sleep in if I wanted You don't have to get Sometimes you gotta start today Yeah I mean sometimes you gotta start today Get a good hearty breakfast get out there for a run Water the grass I mean sometimes men

Gotta do men things Homeowner stuff I don't know if you can tell Jackie domest, I don't know if you can tell. Jackie domesticated. Yeah, I don't know if you can tell, but I'm definitely matured. I mean, many people are saying this. Oh, it's clear. Yeah.

It's clear. I mean, I don't know how you couldn't tell. That's what I'm trying to say. Yeah, so I think, do I think it can propel them? I think it, first off, I think they're too talented to stay down forever. In my heart, I feel like they're a better offense, and I think they're going to figure it out. Could this kind of be a big exhale moment for them that can get them going?

Sure. But I'm at the point where I just got to see it. I got to see it. The vibes are good. I really like the bird poop thing. I just hope that's. I gotta see it. The vibes are good. I really like the bird poop thing. I just hope that's something they can kind of roll with and maybe they're like, oh, well, it can't get worse than this.

And then they win and score 17 runs. Maybe it's something for them. Maybe it's something they can rally around. I don't know if it's going to be as catchy as the bamboo. I don't know if they need to go get bird cages and just have them above Citizens Bank Park. I don't know if we're to go get bird cages and just have them above Citizens Bank Park. I don't know if we're at that point.

But I do think they're always too talented to stay down, and I hope that they can get on a roll here because the only way this team was ever going to win anything or be good was if the offense was going to carry them. So Reese has been pretty consistent for a month now, which is good to see. As he goes, maybe the offense goes. I don't know. I'm more hopeful than I

believe it, but man, I need it. Yeah, I think that's a perfect way to put it. Hopeful. We've had too many of these to just blindly say, oh, this is it. I mean, the Segura, Girardi thing. We talked about that.

Harper getting in the face, the reaction. We've had multiple of these things throughout the year already. We're like, all right, there's the thing. This is the galvanizing moment. Now the run comes. So I agree. It needs to happen before I'm going to say what the moment was. We can look back in hindsight and say, oh, the bird poop,

a.k.a. actually the high hopes, uh, live show, whatever we can point to those things. But I need to see it, um, to believe it's going to happen. But to your point, look that the offense, a, as we've talked about many times, like it should be better. It will be better. Guys won't be as bad as they've been particularly like Bowman guys like that. But, um, also like also to your point, like they have to be better like this often if this team is gonna go anywhere past you know a lost season it's because the offense like the offense has to be better um all right what stuck out to you from the game itself anything uh at like any moments it really stuck out to you other than of course the greatest moment in the game

ronnie torre is going yard, Jack Fritz. What else stuck out to you? Well, Nick Maton's never seen the field again, right? I mean. I mean, Ronnie Torres, what a star. Dude, how happy do you think Girardi was? It's the first thing that he's gotten right. It's the first thing that he's like, all right, this is my guy.

He's on the team because of me. The pitching version of that not working out so well, David Hale. Yeah, I think Girardi's psyched for his boy, Ronnie. Yeah, it is funny, though, that we put David Hale and him together when David Hale never pitched for Girardi. Really? Yeah, he never pitched for him. What?

Yeah, I know. It was with the Yankees. Yeah, I know. I know. He never pitched for Girardi. What? Yeah, I know. People always say that, but they never played for him.

That's so, is that really true? I'm going to double check it. So wait, did Girardi get fired in 2017 or 2018? After 2017. Yeah. Well, then, yeah, you're right. Yeah, because he was on the Yankees. If it was 2018, then he played for him.

If it was 2017. No, he was fired for 17 yeah wow i know look at that busting narratives over here that's pretty wild you're a narrative buster so then why the hell is david yelthale here yeah that's yeah that's the other point yeah yeah i have no idea why he's here at this point but um no like noel this fine, you know what I mean? Like how he pitched was fine. Right. I mean, he went how far.

Yeah. Like he, yeah, but he still allowed three runs or less and went six innings. Like it's five innings. He went five innings, five innings. Like,

I know it's just like, he got it. He's got to get it back. I mean, it's been ever since, ever since the complete game, he's just been fine. And like, he's not bad. Like, he's definitely not ever since the complete game, he's just been fine. And, like,

he's not bad. Like, he's definitely not bad. It's just he's not great. And for them to kind of, you know, go on a run here, they're going to need Nola to get back to being Nola. But, yeah, it's definitely worrisome. And he just, he needs to be better. I mean,

it's as simple as that. The weather's warming up. It's going to be 90 degrees this weekend. It's time for Knowles to kind of get back on track. So, yeah, he was whatever. My other takeaway was it felt more drastic than I'd seen. I guess Boehm's always been a little bit open, but he did, to me, have more of an open stance um on on tuesday wednesday on wednesday um so it's interesting because i think that no it was tuesday but um it looked more open to me and maybe that's part of

the plan to get him to be able to hit inside pitches more consistently um so look after that look after that this weekend he did have two knocks which is good hit a call balls hard um in the game before so maybe he's kind of coming out of this a little bit and man do they need him to come out of this yeah i'm more than anything i i think you could really look at this team and say he's the single biggest x factor player on the team you know i mean you need harper to come back and be healthy and be Bryce Harper. You need JT to get back to what he was before and all that stuff. But in reality, the one guy who can just completely change the fortunes of this lineup by being even a semblance of what he was last year is Boehm. It changes everything.

Well, they were a top six offense when Boehm was here last year. Don't step on the Facebook Live We're about to play too much. Oh, did I? No, I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking.

Um, okay. Well, I was about to say, uh, I did think though that, that, that the,

the hit to make it three, two, you know, two, two, uh, the, the kind of little poke to left center,

you know, kind of a little, a little single, but, but that felt like a big hit for him. Like he was really fired up at first base after that, like kind of felt like, you know, kind of a little single, but that felt like a big hit for him. Like, he was really fired up at first base after that, like, kind of felt like, you know, big spot, tie game. I don't know.

You know, look, all it takes is a couple of those, or even one of those sometimes to get some confidence back and start rolling, and it feels like a lot of Bomes issues right now are related to confidence. I agree. I agree. Because he was definitely getting frustrated. He was definitely down. And, you know, maybe Tuesday gotta got him going a little bit because again he there they were a good offense with him last year and and if they can get him going again

phil's might be going on a little bit of a run here oh buddy oh buddy oh all right well with Uh-oh. All right. Well, with that in mind, let's listen to the thing, the moment, the legend that changed the season. The High Ops Facebook Live Show brought to you by Goldenberg's Peanut Juice. We're going to play that. We're going to be back. For us, it's going to be like two seconds. For you, a little bit longer. We'll be back, and we'll still be here in a different place. But here here was that confusing enough jack yeah way i set that up right on time yeah okay here's the facebook live show hey all right we are live jack fritz well high hopes hour they let us do this brought to you

by peanut juice jack he's getting ready look at this so the over-under let's set the stage the most important thing we're obviously going to talk phillies here on at this. So the over-under, let's set the stage. The most important thing, we're obviously going to talk Phillies here on High Up's Hour. But the over-under is 18 and a half. The time has started. It starts the moment the hour begins. Right. So you have to eat 19 to win. Yeah.

And full disclosure, I had two during the show. Well, I can say I walked by your studio and I saw the bag open and I was like, man. All right, Jack, Keffer, that's one. That's one. One. On the board. All right. I was hungry. Goldenberg's Pant Jack Keffer, that's one. That's one. One. On the board. All right. I was hungry.

Goldenberg's Pinochews. The best candy around. Flat out. Of course, Philly Zone. We love it. So we'll see how many Jack can eat. All right, let's dive in, buddy. Oh, man.

Fun baseball game. Yeah, well, so we set this up, what, a month ago or whatever, right? They're like, hey, let's do this thing. It'll be super fun. We're like, Pinochews. We freaking love Pinochews. Like, this is perfect. This is awesome.

Pinochews are the best. And we're like, peanut chews. We freaking love peanut chews. This is perfect. This is awesome. Peanut chews are the best. And we're like, oh, we'll do it June 1st, right? June 1st, a third of the season done. The check-in. You start to take things seriously. We'll have a fun baseball team to talk about, Jack Fritz. Well, that's

what it's supposed to be. Everyone says, oh, you don't know your baseball team until you're 50 games in. I think I know this baseball team. I think I might know this baseball team until you're 50 games in. I think I know this baseball team. I think I know them. I think I might know this baseball team too well. Hasn't been a fun run. No.

But, but. There's a but there. Okay. We'll still talk about them and still be excited about them. Well, and look, with Jack Fritz here, there's always going to be some level of positivity. As you all know, I mean, Jack can talk himself into anything when it comes to the Phillies. And listen, I might have concocted a way to talk myself back into the scene. Because that's where I want to start.

We'll get into specific players and all that type of stuff. It's like a third of the season check in here. It's real now. Let's just start with an overview, though, because Jack, I mean, buddy, give me some positivity. It's been a bad, bad run lately. Obviously, 11-1 yesterday in Cincinnati. Lose two in Tampa.

Not that surprising. It felt like the two of four in Miami were like, whoa, they split a series in Miami. Things are looking up. And they should have won. They should have won three of four if our manager didn't pitch to Corey Dickerson with the 3-1 count. If our manager didn't, could be the name of the yearbook at the end of this year, the video yearbook

for your partial two. that you're partial to. If you're looking for positivity, I got one for you. Please, that's what I need. I need positivity about the Phillies right now. And this might be too nerdy for our listeners. Not for our listeners. Our listeners are nerds. But there's a different audience.

It's true. People could just be checking to see what we look like. That's actually what most people do. That was what Jordan Cameron said today on the Midday Show. He's like, when we were promoting it, he's like, oh, yeah, if you ever wonder what Seltzer looks like, check it out. And I'm like, oh, yeah. I know.

We work on the radio. Believe it or not. That's a great point. Many people have said that we have faces for radio. But they do have three starters in the top ten in F4. They do. Which is awesome. It is nerdy.

F4. F4. And that's not B-War. But if you are... There are three starters in the top ten in F4. They do. Which is awesome. It is nerdy. F4. F4. And that's not B-War. But if you are. As if war wasn't nerdy enough. Right. But if you're looking for a positive and for a reason why this team could turn around,

it comes down to that. Because you have three legitimately good starting pitchers. Wheeler's been unbelievable. I mean, one of the best pitchers in baseball. Matt Klintak's best signing. And yes, that counts. Yeah. 330 million dollar, that counts. Yeah. $330 million man. Sure. Absolutely

his best signing. What else we got here? The Jay Bruce trade, Jack. That was a good move. That's your guy, Jay Bruce. I still like Jay Bruce. But if you're looking for a positive, that's three starters that should give you a chance to win on a night in, night out basis. And like, Eflin, I feel like he's taken a bit of a step back recently he looks tired

to me like he looks like you know the whole heavy body thing yeah we've it's been a thing right and it kind of looks like he's he's getting back to that a little bit like he's not totally finishing his pitches he's kind of cut himself off and he's like it doesn't look as crisp as it looked earlier in the year so um but he's still like even when he's not pitching well eflin's at a point where he's going to give you a chance to win every night i'm not that's what he's done um velasquez kind of went back to being vinny last night didn't he but like i i think that was more of a blip i think vinny can be better than that and then five if they if they want to do a spencer how Ranger Suarez piggyback, and that can, I mean, it was great in the Marlins series.

That's something. The fact that they have five guys on most nights that should give them a chance to win is something to look forward to. It is. And, look, if you want positivity. That's two. That's two. Keffer, two.

Shout out to Jack Keffer setting this whole thing up. The man. The better Jack. I didn't say that. I'm trying not to do it into the mic. I'll talk. I'll give you some positivity, too. And these are more...

Yours is like a concrete thing that is happening now. These guys are good. I'm going to talk about... Alec Boehm can't be this bad, right? Like, he cannot be. I came into this season saying he might be the best here on the team, Jack Fritz. By the end of the year, he was going to be

the best offensive player in the team. He's got an OPS under 600 and has all season long. So Alec Boehm, like, has to get better. He's gotten so unlucky. The blind – I mean, we all see it, right? I mean, balls he hit the guys, or it's like, yep, that would have been a hit. That should have been a hit.

And now he's – it feels like he's reacting emotionally to every single one. Dude, he's taking it all very personally. And honestly, I wouldn't hate sending him down. And I know that would be like a massive ego blow. And for a guy that batted.338 last year and had a runner's scoring position, his average was over.400. And we're talking about – and I threw out the R. Freddie Freeman. You know, sending down R. Freddie Freeman would hurt.

Would it? It would. But we have to get him back on track. And, like, we have to get him back on track. Because this team is only going to be as good as it can be offensively if Alec Boehm is the guy that he's projected to be. And he's supposed to be the guy he was last year. When Alec Boehm was going last year, the Phillies had a top six offense.

Like, that was there. Obviously, the offense has been brutal this year. McCutcheon hasn't helped that. Boehm hasn't helped that. But if you can just sit Boehm down and just let him kind of take a deep breath. Like, we can't – this team can't wait until the All-Star break. Like, if we wait until the All-Star break, they might be out of it. Yeah.

Out of it. Trending in that direction, my friend. Right. You have to get him going. And they've tried things like benching him with Brad Miller. They've tried certain things. But sending him back down, maybe getting him comfortable, at least getting him some confidence back,

and then bringing him back up, it could do wonders for him and could be the thing that could save this baseball team. So I wonder if they send him down. It would be shocking. It would be shocking. Yeah. But I don't feel the way that I feel about Scott Kingery with Alec Boehm. I don't feel a way even I thought about Reese Hoskins two years ago

where it's like Reese kind of is what he is. He's a good player, not a great player. He's a hot, cold guy. He's just what he is. But I think Alec Boehm legitimately is a great offensive player when he gets right. And I still feel that way. I know it's been a tough little start here, but I still feel that way.

So I would definitely consider sending him down, try to get him right, and bring him back up and hope that he can start to do something here. I mean, they've got to figure something out, right? I mean, it's just – and it hasn't gotten any better. It looks, to your point, like he's more and more frustrated on a nightly basis. And then you add in the defense thing, which, like, look, we all know,

but I'm sure that's wearing on him too, right? Like the fact that he's a disaster defensively too, I'm sure that's number three going down right now. Three, I like the call out. Yeah, the three, caught your three. It's like we're entering a restaurant together back behind you okay um another reason for optimism bryce harper's gonna play again right at some point i mean maybe i mean jt will get better now that he's back dd

maybe he'll play again i mean look we're throwing the ball across the infield the other day i saw that's a big move pretty exciting exciting stuff. Yeah, for sure. Look, and it's hard to complain about injuries when the team that's in first place in the division is like a mash unit out there. Cameron Mabron is starting for the Mets right now. Got his first hit. Yeah, Cameron freaking Mabron. I think he's one for 28. Still, Cameron Mabron is still in Major League Baseball somehow.

So it's hard to complain about it, but those are three massive injuries. And JT's back, but those are three of your five best hitters, right? We'll get to the defense in a sec. The pitching, like you said, can be good. And the boatman will get to, but certainly better than last year. You know, we can say that. It's the offense. This team, if we had come into the season,

we would say they live and die with this offense. Everything else is extra. Like, they need to start hitting the ball, Jack. That's where this season can turn for the better. Yeah, and ultimately, I mean, McCutcheon's back down. I mean, he was looking like he was heating up a little bit there. A little bit. A little hot streak in the beginning of May, it felt like.

Yeah, he's back. He's back. He's back. Man. Because, like, ultimately, it comes down to him. Like, you have to get Andrew McCutcheon going. I mean, he's supposed to be your leadoff hitter. Obviously, Oduble's been there the last couple games.

Segura's fine in the two-hole. But the lineup is so much more deep and so much more potent if you can get Andrew McCutcheon right. And he hasn't been right. His bat just looks slow. He's not hitting the ball hard anymore. Striking out a ton. And you do hope that when Didi gets back, you hope that swelling in the elbow goes down.

But I'm worried about that, too. Of course. How could you not be worried about that? The guy had Tommy John surgery. I know. It's ridiculous. And it was a two-year deal. Yeah.

Super. Yeah. Super. It's great. The thing is, though, if they can just get these guys back. Second worst in baseball. Yeah. The strikeout thing is kind of crazy because I did kind of buy into the theory of,

well, I'd rather have a strikeout than a double play or whatnot. But Alec Bones is on pace to break the double play record. But the game on Saturday where they're striking out. It was like 15 times. Yeah yeah i think it was 15 like you and i i've said this in the past but like you can't win games in october with the strikeout rate that they're going at right now like for as much as regular season baseball it's a grind and it's a it's a whole you know you know it's a journey right that the regular season baseball is like to win games in October, you have to be able to do the little things.

And what we've seen so far is they can't do the little things. I mean, they can't, they definitely can't defend fundamentals. They can't defend. They don't know which base to turn, turn a throw to. So, but, but, but putting the bat on the ball and creating hard contact and that stuff, like it matters. And you look at the best teams in baseball,

they generally have the lower strikeout rates. Houston's always up there. Boston's always up there. And honestly, that's where Nebraska came from. I mean, Nebraska kind of built that Red Sox offense on the basis of balls in the gap, getting runners over. The 2018 team was an absolute juggernaut when it came to that level of baseball.

This team doesn't have Mookie. This team doesn't have J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers, Alexander Bogarts. Right. But they can still do little things that can help you win ballgames. So I believe in the track records, and I think it's going to get better. But it is just brutal to watch right now. Well, yes, it is brutal.

And I think offensively, the strikeouts are kind of the symbol of that. Obviously, I think more macro when you look at this team, the defense is what stands out to you is like not major league quality, Jack. I thought the 2018 team defensively is the worst. Well, with Reese Hoskins in left field. Yeah, you would think that putting Reese Hoskins in left field would be the lowest it could get. It doesn't get worse. Yeah, it's worse. So here's my question.

You play baseball your whole life. You're a baseball guy. We all understand they're not talented, right? It's pretty clear from a defensive perspective they lack talent. Offensively, we think they'll get back to where they're supposed to be or head in that direction. Defensively, they don't have talent. But they can look the ball under their glove.

They can know where to throw it when it gets hit to them. Oh, oh, I should throw it to second base now. That's the right decision instead of holding the ball and waiting to watch someone take an extra base or whatever. Like, all that stuff. Like, A, what can be done to fix it in the middle of the season with a bunch of veteran players and b who's to blame like who is this on is this on gerardi is this on the players it's on

everybody what what why can they not go out and just play fundamental baseball yeah i ever i know i know and it's it's it was that way under gabe yeah it was that way under gabe and we thought that with gerardi coming in here that would change but But I have a hard time putting it on the manager. You know, I mean, I guess like if you want to make him go do more like defensive work, I guess you could. I just don't think we have a talented defenders. I mean, yeah, but I get that. I get that. I'm I understand it.

Like you can't get to a ball. It's it's maybe a great left fielder gets to it. Andrew McCutcheon is not going to. I get it. It's when uh uh maybe a great left fielder gets to it andrew mccutchen's not going to i get it it's when he drops the ball man it's when the ball's coming into jeans agarra's glove and he just boots it yeah it's when andrew mccutchen doesn't know what base to throw the ball to when he gets it like that's the stuff that like at a certain point i understand the players have to do it themselves but at a certain point like what what what is the manager here for what is george already making five million dollars for because it's certainly not for the in-game decisions he's making but have we factored in maybe it's for double switching

i mean does he have a double switch incentive it's look he should get a lot more than if he gets paid for double switch it may be making 50 million he's doing a great job yeah it's a great job he works one in once again seriously i hear a lot of this and i hear it from a lot of former players like you know we know people we know people, we talk to people, whatever, people working at WIPL, and a lot of the particularly former players, and you're a player. Semi. Not at that level, but you play.

You consider you're, in your mind, you're a major league baseball player. A superstar. Could have been me. Like, why do people keep letting Joe Girardi off the hook for this? Because at a certain point, like, do something. Like, anything. Well, I think it comes down. I think a lot of players feel like it's on the player.

And one thing I will say is that I think that a lot of the defensive struggles do happen because I feel like they're all trying to go on a winning streak every play. Like, they're all trying to break the game open all every play like they're all trying to to break the game open all the time and they're trying to be the hero you know you see the misplays in the field and maybe that's because they're all trying to be so they're trying too hard like gabe used to say but there is some truth to that where like you feel like all the pressure's on you and any little mistake you make is going to cost the team and it's going to it's going to keep spiraling downward this baseball season so you know maybe from the standpoint of of they are literally in

their own heads because they're trying to they're pressing and they're trying to go on a winning streak by themselves every day i mean it it could be that they're so psyched out but the thing is is that this is year four of this so maybe it's the guys i gerardi i just i guess he's not going to go out there and break down their athletic positions and their hands and that stuff that comes down to doing a lot of fungo work and working with the coaches and all that i mean he's probably trying to flip over tables like we don't we don't know any of that stuff he's probably tried getting movies so i I'm getting mad at Gene Segura. But ultimately, it comes down to players just knowing and doing their job. And listen, if he wants to start holding players accountable and like benching them for stuff, that'd be great.

But also, it puts the Phillies in a worse situation. I know. They don't have enough bench depth. Trust me. I know, dude. I know. They can do that. Look, on a basic level, the biggest problem with this team is the roster

it's the lack of roster depth it's a lack of this is four you've slowed down by the way it's drastically all right we're four talking count four four okay um so look i i absolutely agree roster depth the inability to bring guys up from the minor i mean you look at all these teams the great teams you know the dodgers all these teams they a guy gets hurt, and they just bring someone up. And it's like, oh, that guy can play. That guy's a major league player. Look at the Rays. They traded Willie Adamas.

Yeah, they traded their starting shortstop. Like, just, see ya. Cool. Like, and they fill. And they fill these holes. And it's guys who play defense. It's guys who get timely hits. It's, like, guy after guy after guy.

So, I agree. I know roster depth is a problem. But at a certain point like i understand the talent problems that i can accept it's the fundamentals it's the the stuff that i could do like i know where to throw the ball i know where the ball is supposed to go in a situation five count them i know i know what to do with the ball i know how to look a ball into my glove i know i understand but these guys are major league players at a a certain point, hold infield practice. I know they don't do that in the majors.

Screw it. Do the stuff you see in stupid sports movies if you have to. Major league or whatever. I know that's not the way it works, but at a certain point shake it up. Do something different because every night this team makes the same boneheaded mistakes. You want to play 21? They should go

play 21? Sure. Get the 21 outs? Yeah. I guess in baseball, in major league baseball it's 27. We want to play 21? They should go play 21? Sure. Get the 21 outs? Yeah. I guess in baseball, in major league baseball, it's 27. We used to play 21 or 27. I mean, except for the Phillies,

which it's 34 or 35 every night. Yeah. Yeah. Or when they're on the road, it's 24. Yeah. Because they're not allowed to win on the road.

It's in the rules. Go ahead. They have to get destroyed on the road. Like, do you ever feel worse about the Phillies ever than when they're on the road? No. I just expect it.

And they always find a way to make it, like, excruciating. Well, and also they just, yes, yes. And in one way or the other, either a game they should win that they blow in a heartbreaking or devastating fashion, or it's something like yesterday where they just get their doors blown off by a Cincinnati roster that wasn't even starting a bunch of guys. I mean, Winker wasn't a lineup. I mean, it's like, I mean, I've never even heard of the guy. Shock? Oh, I didn't know who he was.

No idea. Kyle Farmer? I know the name. Terrible. Stevenson? Really? Yeah. Like, who are these guys?

Yeah. I mean, it's Cincinnati, so that's it. I know, they rake, they rake. But I just, it is excruciating. And here's the thing, and you've made this point before on the pod, and I think it's important, is the group of guys on the road, it just feels like they have no life on the road. It feels like they're dead men walking.

It doesn't matter what they're coming off of. It doesn't matter the situation. There's just going to be no energy, no excitement, no heart. Well, it's clear that they have a leadership problem. Clear. It's clear that they have a leadership problem. Clear. It's clear. Clear as day. Thank you.

Wow. Whoa! That was a bad one. Wow. That was a bad one. Night is day. It's as night as day as anyone can see. Sure.

New Jim Nance pit. Yeah, yeah. Sure is, though. I didn't see that coming. Well, it is night is day that when you like watch this team that it's a leadership void i mean like and and and there there's as there's just a disconnect there's a disconnect somewhere where they go and i don't i honestly don't know how to quantify it i don't know how to put my finger on what the disconnect is all i know is

that there's something and it might take like, reshaking the core, you know, to kind of either wake anyone up or any of that stuff. Because this team has no idea how to win on the road. Like, at all. I mean, it's been this way for four years. And for, I mean, the main players have been here for three years. And it might take, like, I always think about the no more Garcia Parra trade, you know, where the Red Sox traded him,

and they got Orlando Cabrera back, and they went on a run because they felt like they needed a shakeup in the clubhouse. You think about, like, the Bobby Abreu trade. You know, Abreu is a good player, but, you know, you don't know what was going on there, but they moved on from him and the team went on a run and all that stuff. So I don't know. There's some disconnect with this team on the road

that just hasn't translated in the last couple of years. All right, we're going to get to questions in a second. Get your questions in on Facebook, Instagram. Maybe eat another peanut chew. Yeah. Get on it. You're a little behind. Philly sports fans know how to celebrate the return of baseball by going nuts,

cheering on their favorite team while enjoying Goldenberg's peanut chews, the delicious game day snack. We're up to six. I'm going to smoke this over, by the way. This baseball season, go nuts with peanut chews, the best tasting snack in Philadelphia. Grab them today at your favorite retailer. Love peanut chews.

You're doing a great job, Jack. All right, let's get some questions. Get your questions in. Anything big picture you want to get to before we start taking some questions? We'll get to more. I want to talk about Wheeler. I want to get a little more in-depth in Wheeler. I want to talk Nola.

Let's get in some questions, though. On Instagram, Facebook, E underscore Brown 215 says, Remember when we thought Gabe Ka capler was the problem fun times yeah you know who's never the problem well yeah yeah gabe capler well here's what i'll say think about how many times just this year forget last year let's throw last year and the worst bullpen ever and all out the window how many times this year can you think of a specific thing that joe gerald has done or a situation that has happened where if it were Gabe Kapler, it would be the entire season. Every single day.

The going out to the mound twice for Wheeler. Boom. Never. We'd never stop talking about it ever again. The not having Daniel De Los Santos on the roster for the game. Are you kidding me? Gabe Kapler, he might have gotten fired that night because the fans would be outside the stadium like with pitchforks.

I mean, so many things. The Segura thing, this, that. It's like so many things that Girardi does where if it were Gabe Kapler, it would be like a meltdown in this. And then now we didn't get to it, but how about Joe Girardi saying, ho, ho, ho, not telling you guys anything anymore. Every other team in baseball has no problem telling you what's going on, but not us.

Not us, because I get caught lying. Manager's decision. It's all a manager. Yeah us, because I get caught lying. Manager's decision. It's all a manager's decision. It's such a loser move. It's a loser move, Joe. If you're watching right now, and you might be there in Cincinnati waiting for the game, Joe, loser move, buddy. It's a loser move.

I will say this, though. I will say this on the Gabe thing. It's funny, because I actually remember those times. Oh, yeah. That's a long time ago. I'm impressed. It's a long time ago. I'm impressed. It was a lot of baseball. It was just tough to get through September at that point.

True, yes. Like, September Phillies are the date of my existence. But I will say, like, the upgrade from Klintec to Farhan is a pretty massive upgrade. Sure, it is. But again, like, look at that roster. Like, I know, look, and I know that Farhan's a genius and clearly is because that's a better roster than it looks on the surface.

But you can't tell me that that roster is better than this roster. You can't. Yeah, I mean, that's a funny part. It's like, you see the Phillies on paper, and you're like, that's a pretty good team. And then you see them play, and they're like, well. Not as good as I thought.

They're definitely bad. They're definitely not great at this whole baseball thing. So I do think the upgrade from Farhan to Farhan from Klintec is a massive upgrade. And they clearly find actual value at the margins. Remember that whole thing here? Sure. Unlike here.

Sure. Actual value at the margins. Remember that whole thing here? Sure. Unlike here. Sure. I think Darren Ruff has the fifth highest WOBA or maybe expected WOBA. The guy has been a machine out there.

It's unbelievable. He's barely playing. Yeah, could you? Actually, yeah. Darren Ruff's pretty high up. I mean, he's finally living up to Babe Rowan. So we're 26 minutes in. F4 and WOoba so far. The tracker.

This is what Goldenberg's peanut juice signed up for. Chicks dig the Woba. I've heard that. Chicks do dig the Woba. And chicks also dig Goldenberg's peanut juice. All right. Important comment from Brett. They do.

Well, look at this guy. This is, you know. Eat another one. Eat another. Do another. Do it. Hold on. We're waiting for this one.

This is like a momentous one. There it is. Needed it. Okay. Good question from, or good comment. It's not a question, a comment. From Brad Williams underscore 12, he says, Seltzer looks like a James. Jack looks like a Kyle.

What do you think? I kind of see it. What up, Kyle? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I guess so. Look, Kyle. This is not a Chad, right?

Yeah. That's, you know. Sorry, buddy. I got a buddy. Yeah, sorry. I need it's not a Chad, right? Yeah, that's, you know. Sorry, buddy. I got a buddy. Yeah, sorry. I didn't Chad's out there. I got a buddy. One of my best friends named Chad.

We call him Butters, though. Butters? Yeah, he got a haircut once that looked like Butters from South Park, and 20 years later, he's still Butters. Yeah, see, I feel like that's your whole friend group. Like, your nickname's Schweppy, right? Yes, Schweppy. Right.

Yes, for Schwepps. Schwepps, seltzer water, Schweppy. Yeah, you guys have not moved the nicknames on in your years. No. In your years since high school. No, yeah. And we all know for you high school was a very long time ago. Long, so long.

I don't even remember it, really. I mean. I'm sure you don't. I mean, it's damn near prehistoric at this time. The Phillies have been bad, good, and then bad again since I was a kid. Would you say, that's the funny part about this team, is like they're way more talented than the post-93 teams. Yes.

Way more, like, I don't know, like 0-4? Yeah, but those Boa teams were all right. I mean, they went like, what, 86, 85, 86 games with those Boa teams. I mean, you wouldn't think the talent's much better, but the results were. I know. I know. But I feel like a Kyle is at least a compliment. Sure.

Yeah. Yeah. Take it as one. Well, the only reason I'm wearing it, I feel like it's because I'm wearing the hat backwards. The only reason I'm wearing it backwards is because I haven't got a haircut in a while. Is that what it was? I want to look good on camera. I shaved.

Look at this. Shaved. I know. You can see my face scar. Proud of you, buddy. Yeah. You should. He's an adult.

I mean. Oh, here we go. Matt Little says, Fritz, guys over 20 don't wear their hats backwards unless you're in the gym or playing sports. Matt, you are correct. Well said. Matt, I will agree. But also, I think I look pretty good. And I'm not having a good hair day.

The hair's looking a little long. I've got an appointment all set up. I'm trying to get it cut. I get it. I get it. Yeah, I just didn't want my bad hair showing up. The hair's looking a little long. I've got an appointment all set up. I'm trying to get it cut. I get it. I get it. Yeah, I just didn't want my bad hair showing up on camera. This is a big deal. The Goldenbergs, Pinochus, they don't want me having a bad hair day.

Yeah. So I decided to go with the hat look. That was actually in the writing? Yeah. Make sure Jack's hair isn't looking at your eyes. Tell him to wear a hat because it's probably going to be bad. I was also thinking about wearing my Phillies hat, but that's a frontward facing hat and I feel like it would look weird on camera.

That's true. That's a good point. A lot of thought went into my hat. Sounds like far too much. I just have my wife shave my head. Right. Well, again, it's okay. When my hair is right, it's strong.

It's a coif. Yeah. You got a coif, guys. Sure is, pal. And we're back. about that literally a second and a half later there's magic nothing happened and nothing happened in between i stayed silent for like a second and a half and that's a that's a long time for you hey i know trust me it was like a patient i was like a pulling you know pulling myself back there I know um that was fun uh again video yearbook people keep us in mind yeah especially when you're

talking to the biggest fan of the video yearbook out there I mean I know you and neighbor Dan that's it yeah the only two people I know watch it every year you guys watch the 2021 or the 2019 one I mean it's like what are you guys doing like it's like torture dude i i could i i i got stuck on a 1998 video yearbook the other day you're so weird i know i don't i don't for the 2021 in particular i'm coming up with a number in my head i'm gonna say 500 that's what someone would have to pay me I'm trying to be realistic here maybe $100

if someone gave me $100 I'd probably sit down and watch it but I mean for 48 minutes you couldn't sit down and watch the 2020 video yearbook this sounds so horrible I lived it I don't want to relive it I do I know

you gotta understand man middle of winter so horrible. I lived it. I don't want to relive it. Oh, I do. I know. I know. That's what makes you special. I know. Well, you gotta understand, man. It's like middle of winter. All I gotta do is watch this basketball team, whatever. This hockey team, whatever. I'm thinking baseball. All times. And I just needed a little bit of something and I was super giddy.

I love the yearbook. I love the Philly's video yearbook. I love it every year. It makes me very happy. I would narrate it if they wanted me to narrate it. Shout out love the Philly's video yearbook. I love it every year. It makes me very happy. I would narrate it if they wanted me to narrate it. Shout out to the Philly's video department. Get me on the horn. I'll be over there in a second. We're asking a lot from the Philly's video department today.

Yeah. Well, listen. I love it every year. And I even write out things that they could use, you know, like the bird poop thing. I mean, I already think of the turning points in the season for the video yearbook. The point is you watch the season with the video yearbook in mind. I do.

Yeah, you're thinking of it as you go, the narratives. And that's what makes you special, buddy. That's what makes me me, pal. Yeah, it's true. All right, take back. Yeah, so I like what the Phillies are doing this weekend with the pitching rotation. I know there's talk.

I don't. I know you don't. I know you don't. But for those who don't know, they're not skipping Howard and Velasquez as they could have and gone Wheeler, Nola, Eflin instead, or Wheeler, Eflin, Nola. They are leaving them in spots. It's going to be

Wheeler, Howard, Velasquez this weekend. Right. I'm very curious to see what Howard does, of course. It's a big one because he finally got into the fifth inning the other day. The velo dipped again, so you're hoping as this thing stretches out, we're seeing more from him,

all that stuff. But I do like the idea of pushing back Eflin a little bit because I do think that Eflin is just a little tired. His mechanic-wise, it just looks like he's a little slow. And I think that has to do with him being maybe a little bit worn down. And he's had problems with heavy body in the past. He's had problems with heavy body in the past. He's had problems with dead arm in the past. And I just, I felt like the start Sunday in Tampa, you know, he just wasn't able to consistently

get inside the lefties. He was leaving cutters and sliders out over the middle of the plate. He was leaving his two seam around the middle of the plate. And that usually is a sign to me that a guy's just a little bit tired so um i like that they're pushing him back a little bit giving him a little bit extra rest because they're gonna need need effluent and he's been fine he's been almost like nola where it's like yeah i mean he's been fine but i mean his era is over four now like it's it's time to get it back down into the three fives and below so um i like that they're giving him a little bit of a breather

and hopefully this kind of gets him back. Yeah, look, that's a good argument. I get it. We don't know if he's tired or not. It does seem like he is. And obviously he's had these issues in the past with the tired arm and tired body, dead body, or whatever it's called.

So yeah, look, I get it. I just, any chance i can get to skip those guys i'm gonna skip them but i get it i get it what else um how about the weird uh gerardi quotes on mickey like all of a sudden they don't yeah they don't corner outfielder stuff and they don't view him as a center fielder and it's like well i mean why i mean his value should be in center field like i don't i personally don't think of mickey as a corner outfielder you know i think And it's like, well, I mean, his value should be in center field. I personally don't think of Mickey as a corner outfielder. I think of Moore as a center fielder with good defense that can hit a little bit.

When I think of corner outfielders, I think of Moore Pop and stuff like that. So I just thought it was a weird quote. And it's a shape in the philosophy, I guess, of the organization. And I don't know. I'm very curious to see what their plans are here because it doesn't really seem like they totally have one. Yeah, very clearly. Would it be shocking, Jack, for them not to have a plan?

I mean, in reality, what did we just talk about with Spencer Howard? I mean, over and over and over again, what the hell was the plan with this guy? What has been the plan with this guy? I mean, I know we talked about it on the Facebook Live thing, but rolling him out in Colorado for that, you know, we tend to run game or whatever. I mean, I know we talked about it on the Facebook Live thing, but rolling him out in Colorado for that, you know, 10-to-run game or whatever. I mean, seriously, though, like, that's your top prospect

in the organization. Like, the top guy, the most important young player in your organization, arguably. And you're just, like, throwing him to the bullpen and moving him back. Like, it doesn't seem like they have a strong plan for any of these guys in terms of development.

Oh, wow. The Phillies are bad at developing players like shocking. Like I do think that's an issue. And I think that this kind of, you know, lack of defined plan, lack of,

of direction for players, for the team, for, for development is, is absolutely a concern because that's what Dave Dombrowski is supposed to come in here and do. He's supposed to give the team direction, supposed to set this organization on the right path, right? I mean, that's the point. And so far, between that type of stuff, between the roster mismanagement we've seen this season,

and obviously I've talked a ton about the Harper injury stuff, the JT, They've talked a ton about the Harper injury stuff, the JT, DD waiting days, playing with a short bench. Like, it's concerning. Like, the organization's ability to be a functional baseball organization that does things the right way is absolutely in question right now. Fun times, fun times. So, yeah, that's something to monitor for sure. I legitimately think the Phillies should leak to one of the media members that they're thinking about reworking the core or something at the deadline like give them one last whether you do it or not but give us yeah like you saw the this happened with the cubs uh i think in

april or maybe early may like where they leaked it leaked something to i think morosi about how like yeah chris prine chris brown be gone and maybe Javi and this stuff. And the Cubs responded by going 18-8 in May. All of a sudden, they have the best record in the National League. You're right there. Right. Maybe a little something to be like, hey, if you guys don't turn this around, we're going to start selling these pieces off.

And then if they don't respond to that, maybe that's something that could, uh, like, all right, well, if you're not gonna respond to that, then I guess we do need to blow it up. And it gives you a better, uh, plan heading into the trade deadline.

Yeah. I think it's a fascinating thing that the buyer sell thing is going to be really interesting if they kind of stay with what they've been this mediocre, a few games under 500 type of team. Like it's going to be a really interesting discussion because it's a tough spot for this organization. I mean, it's time, right? I mean, how many times have we talked about this?

It's been a decade. Everyone on this team is... It's time for this team to be a playoff contender, to make the playoffs, to do something as a franchise and this group of guys. And if they become sellers at the deadline, I don't think they'll be full-on if they were like, I really don't, I don't think they would take it on the chin like that, but it is a, you know, it's a big moment, a pivot point for this franchise.

Cause I mean, they just tanked, they went through the whole thing and it's not looking great in terms of did it work or did it not work, Jack? And like, if they're going to do it again, if they're going to trade off pieces and kind of start over and mess with the core and all that. And I don't, again, I don't think it would be a full on rebuild, a full on whatever, but man, it's, it's a concerning thing. And it goes back to the direction of the franchise we're just talking about. Like, what is it? Where are they going? What are they doing?

Yeah. And I just don't, and this is, this has to be part of it. I mean, I don't know how you sell to Bryce and JT and Wheeler and Dede and Nola and the Hoskins. Like, how do you sell to those guys that, hey, we're going to trade away pieces? Especially Harper and JT. Like, they signed for five years. Wheeler, kind of same thing. Like, it's a hard sell to the guys that are here. And to the fan base, too, man. I hard sell to, to the guys that are here. And I mean,

it's a fan base. Yeah. I mean, could it be the best? Could it be for the best? Yeah. I mean, honestly, it might be,

it probably might be. I mean, if this is the team, if they don't get better, like if this is the group, then yeah, it's, it's,

it's the better thing to do. Right. And, and you just hope that those guys are on board with it. And I mean, ultimately comes down to making the best decision for you. If they are eight games out of it, or eight games under.500, like around the deadline, you have to sell.

And I hope it doesn't get to that point, but it would be fascinating. And I wonder if they would – I really wonder if they would have the stomach to do it. Like really give away a player. i get it i get it like trade zach wheeler or something like that like i don't think they do i i am with you and especially if it continues on this path till the trade deadline like i would advocate for it because this team's not winning anything the way they're playing the way they're put together like they're not you know i mean what could you i mean for zach wheeler and you could

get like you could get a real like you could make a jared khalid type trade and get someone like that like it not now you know what i mean when the canoes like that's the kind of haul you could get you could get like a future superstar of your franchise for zach wheeler i mean it's something you'd have to consider right i know this team continues that way and again i don't i don't think they'll have the stones for it for what you point out the lot the clubhouse those guys that are the bryce harper middleton stuff all that and then for the fan base like the fan base riots if that happened then i get it like and also they're gonna lose there's apathy sets in and people are like again really this is it there's the phillies all right why

should i pay attention to this people already it. We have people calling up today talking about the Sixers and being like, I'm just sad this Sixers thing is going to end because I don't want the Phillies to be the only team left. It's like, well, I was about to curse there, Jack. I was about to say bleep, man. Well, bleep. Well, F word. That's what I'm thinking right there, Jack,

because that hurts my soul, man. All right. This is hypothetical. Would you trade Zach Wheeler for C.J. Abrams right now from the Padres? Oh, buddy. I don't know. I mean, I need to get – I mean, Abrams is really good. Yeah. Would you trade him for Austin Martin from the Blue Jays?

Oh, buddy. Bobby Witt Jr. There's no way the Royals aren't trading for a piece, obviously. But that's the level of guy I need. I need someone where I'm like, all right, that dude's a star. Dude, would the Yankees give us Jason Dominguez? I mean, they might. I mean, he's 17.

He can give Zach Wheeler listen honest to God and we're not saying trade Zach Wheeler but I will say this you're talking to the wrong podcast if you're not looking forward to the possible prospects they could get back

you gotta remember who you're talking to here I love prospects I'd trade anyone on the team for a true blue Are you kidding me? Yeah, I mean, you got to remember who you're talking to here. Like, I love prospects. So, like, would you trade anyone on the team for a true blue? Like, would you trade him for, like, Nolan Gorman from the Cardinals? He's going to keep rattling names off me. I, like, Vito Brujan from the Rays, but they won't do him. No, I don't think so.

Wander. Let's just get Wander. You think that's cool? Yeah, let's get Wander Franco. That sounds good. Like like they'll just give us wander I probably I probably trade him for Zach Bean but that's me um listen I know it would hurt but we're talking about getting a superstar back here all right never mind sorry to bring that up we are not advocating we're not advocating for Zach we are that portion of the podcast by the, would you trade him for Royce Lewis? No, Royce Lewis stinks.

Oh, wow. Yeah, he stinks. I'm not a prospect of the sport, buddy. Yeah, I don't think so. Personally, I don't think so. Oh, I like this take. Hating on him. Would you trade him for Mackenzie Gore?

Oh, dude. So I would probably want to bat back. Yeah, so would I. Yeah, Mackenzie Gore is really nasty. Just throw it at Padres. Padres are one of the best records in baseball. It's like, oh, look at all these prospects they have. I would trade him for – the Giants probably wouldn't do it,

but Marco Luciano is like a superstar prospect. I would trade – can we just trade the Phillies for the Padres and just – we'll take A.J. Preller. We'll take the whole thing. I just we'll take A.J. Preller. We'll take the whole thing. I'm not sold on A.J. Preller. Sorry. He's done a hell of a lot better job than we have, my friend. Yeah, he has with, you know, a hundred years to do it.

He's done a masterful job. Well. Okay. It's not just that. Like, went for it. Had the stones to say, all right, this didn't work. And went out and got all these great prospects. And now he's going for it again and he's crushing it.

So I think that dude's done a really good job. Well, I can't argue against what Matt Klintz acted here. So that's on me. Honestly, we're going to look back. And we can already do it now. But we're going to look back 50 years from now and be like, wow, Matt Klintz was the worst thing that ever happened. Oh, I can't wait. I already can't wait to tell my grandkids about Matt Klintak.

I mean, honestly, on my deathbed, I might say Klintak ruined what was supposed to be my 20s. Yeah. Yeah. You ruined my 20s, dude. I swear to God, Matt Klintak ruined my 20s. I mean, I'm so jealous

of people that were in their 20s for the 08 run. I know you were in your 30s, but... You're just such an asshole. I was not in my 30s. But I just wanted to enjoy Phillies baseball while I was younger and whatever. Matt Klintzak ruined all of that. So appreciate him and McPhail. And by the way, we're not advocating for trading Zach Wheeler.

No. No. Look, if this team keeps playing the way they've been playing, everyone's going to be talking about should they trade Zach Wheeler come the trade deadline. They did talk about it before the season, right? Well, is

Babe Ruth a prospect? Yep. And my final thing here is good to see Adam Haisley back he was uh up in triple a yes we obviously don't know what happened um and i'm i hope he's in a in a in a good state and um yeah i mean it's just i'm just glad he's i'm glad he's healthy that's all like baseball whatever you think of adam hazley the player glad he's healthy and whatever happened I'm glad he's back and he wants to play

baseball again and that's awesome and I will also throw out there shout out to the Woodward and Bernstein of baseball JT Romita how about it how about Mr. calling out the substances and now they're doing something about it Jack

I know this next I think three weeks is going to be fascinating How about Mr. Calling Out the Substances, and now they're doing something about it, Jack. I know. This next, I think, three weeks is going to be fascinating. It's already fascinating. It's always something with this sport, isn't it? It is. All right, you got anything else? I don't.

Just there's fresh cans of high hops at Four Fingers Brewing Company. And please don't make us do more trade deadline trade-off stuff because I just want the Phillies to go on a run and everything to be all happy once again. Yeah, no, we want to be talking about what guys are we trading for to help this club. That's the trade deadline stuff we want to do, not the, oh, should we trade away to get prospects? Like, not that.

But we'll take some prospects. All right, we out of here yes all right uh every by the way all jokes aside everyone who tuned into the facebook live like really meant the world to us it was super fun we had a great time doing it goldenberg's panchus anytime you want us we're there let's do it again and uh we just appreciate high hopes um high hopes listeners high hopes people are people uh you guys are the best um please can we and here's the other thing i want jack here's the other thing i want not asking a lot the next time we talk i want us not to be saying well would it be nice if they spread those 17 runs over a few games huh because they could have used them please

don't let me say that phillies okay please? Please just score more runs. Can we make this a thing? We'll see. He spreads himself. We'll see you later.