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PST SPECIAL: 2024 Best Of Show · The Philadelphia Sports Table | Philly Sports News & Views

• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Philadelphia Sports Table podcast show, the longest
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: running weekly Philly sports podcast show in the world that's
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: right over eleven and a half years strong, and we
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: are making our way into twenty twenty five. But first,
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: before we get into any type of twenty twenty five content,
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: we want to take a look at twenty twenty four
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: or as I mentioned recently on one of our podcast episodes,
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: we've got a best of show coming your way, one
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: where we are going to be revisiting some Phillies old predictions.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: As the twenty twenty four season was getting ready to start,
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: myself and Eric we made some predictions that are gonna
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: be fun to listen to, and then we also got
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: into some draft analysis after the Philadelphia Eagles made their
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: selections in the twenty twenty four NFL Draft. We're also
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: going to revisit one of our lists as well, and
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: we're also gonna get into some old Flyers talk and
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: whether or not we actually have a d one type
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: of guy and talent on this Flyers team. So we're
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: gonna be diving into all of these. We hope you
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: enjoy our best of show as we are heading into
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty five let's take a listen to the Best
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: of twenty twenty four. Look, this is a Phillies team
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: that I think has uh as we were talking about
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: in the interview Eric, it's basically like National League Championship
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: Series again or bust, you know, and some people even
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: say it's World Series or bust at this point here.
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: And I think that's that's where we're going with this
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: team this season. And I think too that you know,
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: this team isn't perfect by any stretch, and it's not
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: gonna be a perfect season. In fact, we're gonna get
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: to some predictions soon. I don't even know if this
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: team is gonna win the division. However, However, once we
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: get you know, once once those like eight game losing
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: streaks happen, and we may see that though, oh, the
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: fans are gonna be like, oh, that's it. They blew
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: their window of opportunity, which I don't think would be
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: the case. I think their window. I think there still
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: is a larger window of opportunity for the Phillies as
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: we're moving forward, maybe in two thousand and twenty five,
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: even twenty twenty six. So I don't know, man, I'm
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: just so stoked that baseball is here, and we're going
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: to get to see this team perform at what I
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: believe is going to be a very high level. I
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: don't know what are your initial initial thoughts here with
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: the season just getting underway here.
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: I mean, I'm excited obviously, and so should everybody. Everyone
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: should be excited for this team. I do think as
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: a fan base, we've got a lot smarter, especially with
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: this team kind of kind of realizing what they are. Yeah,
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: and I did a few weeks ago. They're kind of
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: the Miami Heat of baseball, where just stay healthy enough
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: during the season, get into the playoffs, and then we'll
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: see what happens. And they've they've proven that over the
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: past two seasons. They should have made the World Series.
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: Last year I would have been two in a row.
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: They just ran into a juggernaut at like the last
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: three games of the NLCS. They're right there. They have
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: everyone back. They didn't have ree Hoskins last year. He's
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: not back either, so they're they're basic of bringing back
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: the exact same team. Bryce Harper appears to be healthy
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: and this is I think I heard this is his
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: first spring training with the Phillies, which is just bonkers, right, he's.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Going to mention that. Man, I was actually going to
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: mention that. It's it's like it's his first full spring training.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: He has been injured. He's been injured every single spring training.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: It's incredible.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: They signed in like February of like what February twentieth
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: in twenty nineteen. Yeah, so like he missed that one.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: He had an injury. It was just a weird. He's
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: had a weird career with the Phillies in terms of
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: like spring training his first, this is his first full one.
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: And you know, this team has like a two maybe
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: three year window, and I'm you can only be excited
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: for this team. There's no other there's no other like
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: thing to think for this team. Like, I just love
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: where they're at. They're veteran laden, they have some really
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: good young players too. They should be really interesting this year.
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: And if you don't think they can make it back
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: to their World Series, your nuts like that. That's honestly
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: my take. Right now, they're much better starting pitching. The
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: bullpen is going to be a question mark, but it
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: is every freaking year right all right now. But the
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: lineup is is what it is, and they're going to
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: mash the ball, and we're going to go through our
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: topics and some of the guys I think need to
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: need to rebound, need to break out, need to come back.
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: Ye are going to be a huge part of this.
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: I think, you know, let's go through it. But I like,
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: I really think the fans have become super smart with
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: this team and super tight with this team, and if
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: they can just squeak in like they can do a
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: lot of damage and really scare other teams.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, well, let's get into Let's get into some of
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: these categories that we want to touch on every now
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: and again, folks that listen to some of the other
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: podcast interviews on this platform, Opposition, Territory and table talk.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: Sometimes we get into the following categories for various other
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: teams as well. Who's going to be the comeback kid,
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: who's going to be the rising star, what player needs
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: to rebound, who may be the breakout guy, and who
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: do we predict is going to be the dark horse MVP.
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: So those are the categories that we're going to be
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: getting into here during our season previews. So Eric, I'm
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: going to start off with you and here and just
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: get your take on who do you think is going
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: to be the comeback kid this year, this twenty twenty
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: four Phillies season. Who's the comeback kid for you?
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: I think the comeback kid is a guy that's been
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: with the team in his entire career, and I think
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: we still think of him as like a twenty five
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: twenty six year old even though he's been here forever.
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: He's in his early thirties, he just signed a major contract,
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: one that's going to, you know, set him up for life.
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: And Aaron Nola has got to be the comeback kid. Okay,
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: he was shaky last year. If he can make if
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: he can make a really strong one to two punch
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: with Zach Wheeler, who's an absolute ace in in Major
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: League Baseball, I think he's due for a massive, massive season.
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: And if those two can do what they can do
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: and stay healthy, I could easily see us we might
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: even win more games than we have in the past
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: couple of years. I think he's the obvious candidate for
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: comeback kid.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: I think it's a great, great pick, and in fact,
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: as we're going through these categories, I actually don't have
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: a picture here, but I think that I think with
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: Aaron Nola, you know he is. He's what Justin Klue
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: talked about last week during the interview. You know, he
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: really has been that steady presence which I think is
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: filtered out and helped to really create the foundation for
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: what this team is, that steadiness. You know, we talked
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: about what this team. You said, this team reminds you
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: of the Miami Heat, and you know when the Miami
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: Heat get into the playoffs, it's like that steady type
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: of team that you get and it's steady Eddy. So
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: I like that pick a lot. I like it.
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: I think Nola's your Bam out of Bayou.
• 7:53
  Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, well yeah, I was gonna say with my
• 7:57
  Speaker 3: comeback kid, who I think is going to show us
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: a little bit more this season because I think last
• 8:02
  Speaker 3: year was a little bit of an anomaly and I
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: know he's on the downslide.
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: Our guest Eric and I were just talking about him,
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: and that is JT. Real Muto from an offensive perspective.
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: He had a down year last year. I mean it
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: certainly wasn't anything. I mean, twenty twenty two was absolutely
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: amazing and fantastic. And he JT's getting old, He's thirty
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: three years old. You know, there's a decent amount of
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: quote older guys on this team, But you know, you
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: were just talking about Aaron Nola, and I think with JT.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: Real Muto, you know, even given his age, still has
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: a decent amount in the tank, and I think we're
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: going to see a little bit more of a comeback
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: from him this coming season. From an offensive perspective. He's
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: still one of the top five catchers in baseball for sure.
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: I mean, we can't say anymore that he is the
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: top catcher in baseball. You know, again, guest, Eric and
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: I were talking about how I think us Phillies sports
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: fans were really spoiled for many years knowing we had
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: the best catcher in all of baseball. Now now he's
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: definitely top five. But I think he's gonna have a
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: comeback season offensively from where he was at last year.
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I have him a later category. But you need
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: to stop having other Erics on the on the show
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: because it's such a not it's not a common name.
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: I'm getting confused, like he's Eric.
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: I'm like I'm right here, I now, Yeah, Well he
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: spells his h his name Eric with the C.
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: He's a weirdo. Derek is just it that's just my
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: personal take.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: We've always talked about that. Yes, all right, well the
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: rising star next category. Who's that rising star candidate for
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: you this year?
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: For me, it's a guy that made the made the
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: roster and he he kind of shined in the playoffs.
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: Not not not like you would think, I'm not a superstar,
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: but I think Johann Rojas he's gonna be a rising
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: star if if he can start out in center field
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: and just just do a enough offensively at the bottom
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: of the lineup, because that's kind of where he's going
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: to be. He's going to see the better pitches because
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: you know who the hell wants to face off the
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: face against the top of the lineup. If he can
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: do just enough you ease him in and just enough
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: offenseive just enough offensively, his his speed and his defensive
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: skills are going to shine. And I would not be
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: surprised if he's like in the running for center field,
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: like like golden glove, Like he's that good defensively. He's
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: the kind of guy like his offensive skills are going
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: to take a while to catch up. But if you
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: can keep him in place long enough and let his
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: defensive stuff and speed shine. I think he could be like,
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: like like twenty twenty five, he's gonna be like, whoa
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: if Johann Rojas going to explode next year? Is he
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: going to be like the one of the best center fields,
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: if center center fieldman in the National League. I think
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: if he might have that kind of year, if way
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: the way things are playing out for him.
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: I like what you're saying, and I'm going to be
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: mentioning Johan Rojas at some other point here during this
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: exercise with one of our other categories as well. So
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna go rising Star. I'm going to go with
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: the guy who I talked about I remember last year
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: due I believe it was when we were doing the
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: Philly season preview in twenty twenty three Eric, which was
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: a guy I thought, at some point somewhere down the
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: road within the next couple of years would be an
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: All Star. And I actually think he is going to
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: be an All Star this year. From second base Bryson Stott,
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: I really think in terms of the rising star on
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: this team, what he has been able to do and
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: how he's been able to produce offensively, he is that
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: rising star and I really do think that he is
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: going to take some of that off the field charisma
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: that he has. He's going to take some of that
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: off the field, perhaps, you know, some of that alpha
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: male stuff that Reese Hoskins had given that Reese is
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: not here anymore, and really bring that into the fold
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: for this crew and for this team and inside the clubhouse.
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: I think Bryson Stott is that next great Phillies player.
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: I really do believe that. And this year he's going
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: to show us so much, not just defensively at second base,
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: but inside the batter's box. I think he is going
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: to be an All Star for sure this year.
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: I have him later too.
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: All Right, all right, let's get to the guy who
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: needs to rebound this year. Who's your thoughts on who
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: takes this category for you?
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: I'm going to speak on someone you just talked about, JT. Realmuto. Cool, Okay,
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: he's a rebound and I'm saying that because his regular
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: season was not good last year and he definitely took
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: kind of a kind of a step back a little
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: bit last season. Regular season wise, He's got like one,
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: maybe two good years left a catcher. Eventually they're going
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: to move him into a d h R first basement
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: kind of situation because he's just not gonna be able
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: to catch anymore. Right, So, he's got like one, maybe
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: two good years behind the plate. He calls an awesome
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: game like that. That's let's not deny that he like catching.
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: Why is physically yes, but mentally he's still right there
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: in the top two or three. I want to see
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: one more awesome season behind home plate, calling a great game,
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: and I want to see like batting two ninety five
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: with like twenty eight home runs hundred and twenty RBIs.
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: I want one more breakout jt Rumuto season. I think
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: he's going to be He's the guy. He's kind of
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: in the middle of the gel that could keep the
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: lineup going to get to this bottom half of the
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: lineup where Johan and Stott might be in marsh Like,
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: I think he'd be the bridge. If he has a
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: really good season, he'd be the perfect bridge to the
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: bottom of the lineup.
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: I like that a lot, actually, I I you know,
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: I mean it kind of coincides what you know needs
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: to rebound and also the comeback kid, you know, kind
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: of coincides with each others. But you're absolutely correct. I
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: he's got more baseball in the tank. Like you said,
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: two three years, maybe maybe four, who knows, you know,
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: but it's he's definitely on the downslide, but he definitely
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: still has it. Definitely a top five catcher for sure.
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: For me, the guy who really needs to rebound in
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: my opinion this year is Kyle Schwarber. You know, he's
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: gonna be in the DH roll. He's not going to
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: be in the outfield, thank god. Last year he batted
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: one ninety seven. Twenty twenty two, he batted two eighteen.
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: Twenty twenty one, he batted two ninety one. Then again,
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: he only played forty one games in in uh uh
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: in Boston, and when he was in Washington played seventy
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: two games where he batted two fifty three. So, like,
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: I think this is a guy who who as we know,
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: has a career batting average of what is it, two
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: twenty seven. You know, he he could certainly he could
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: certainly bat around two fifteen two. You know, he needs
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: to rebound to that point to help this team out
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: a little bit. And I think especially in that you
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: know number one role, you know it just just just
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: get on base every now and again. I know the
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: launch angle and I know, hitting home runs out of
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: the park is the greatest thing in the world, and
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: it really is fun to watch. But man, sometimes just
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: contacting the ball and getting it in the field of
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: play is going to help your team and give you momentum.
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: He needs to rebound, and I really think he can
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: this year.
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: Dude, Just give me a couple of doubles. Dude, well,
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: I asked, Like, I love the launch angle, and there's
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: nothing better than a Schwarber bomb off the padres in
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: the playoffs. They get the full team riled up. Yes,
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: but it's another thing where he's hitting bombs in mid
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: June against the Nationals and it's like, cool, but you're
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: bat in one eighty like the right off. Yeah. Like,
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: I agree. I think the guys athletic enough and talent enough.
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: We have one more season of him going like two
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: sixty with forty home runs, some ridiculous number.
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: Like, I think he has it in him, and he
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: is the perfect team around him too, because he at
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: heart is a Beer league softball player, but he but
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: he's an athlete, Like he's not He's not a joke.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: And I think I'm hoping one more season of that
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: kind of ath lesson before he kind of turns into
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: what he probably will be at the end of his
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: career of DH just bombs out home runs. I kind
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: of agree with that. I'm hoping he's another guy like
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: if if he has a breakout season, like near the
• 16:38
  Speaker 2: top of the lineup, it'll change the entire just like
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: like image of the.
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: Team, it changes the entire scope for sure. Yeah, absolutely,
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: all right, moving on too, we have two more two
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: more categories breakout guy and the dark horse MVP breakout guy, Eric,
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: who's that guy for you?
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: I was on the fence with Alec Baum, Bryson Scott.
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: It was two obvious ones, right, Yeah. I think Scott's
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: the guy get an awesome playoff last year. He has
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: the personality, he has the demeanor of being a team leader.
• 17:10
  Speaker 2: If he was on say he was on a crappier team,
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: he would probably be the guy they kind of highlight
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: little more. But he's kind of buried behind a bunch
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: of like really good veterans, well paid veterans. But I
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: think he's that good that he could bat three hundred
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: this year, not you know, hit twenty home runs, not
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: get one hundred and twenty RBIs and make the All
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: Star team and everyone's like, whoa, oh my god, Bryce
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: is Stott Holy shit? What's his next contract going to be?
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: Kind of deal? And I think he's going to be
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: the one. I think Alec Baum's going to kind of be.
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: He is kind of what he is. I think he's
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: going to He's going to give you two seventy twenty
• 17:48
  Speaker 2: home runs maybe and you kind of put them all
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: over the endfield. But I think Scott's more of the
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: has a little more superstar on him than Alec Bohm does.
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: And the key is defensive. He should be offensively like
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: that's to have center field, shortstop, second base, the middle
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: of the field, which is a key to a great
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: defensive team. To have those guys just aces defensively, and
• 18:13
  Speaker 2: Stotts might be the best of all of them, I think,
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: so massive, massive advantage and especially when you get into
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: the playoffs, like you're not getting anything by those guys.
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: So I think he's going to be the breakout guy this.
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: Year, breakout guy, rising star. He was my rising star.
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: I mean, all very legitimate points. For sure. It's interesting
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: you mentioned see I wanted to put Alec Bowman here
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: really really bad. I really wanted to put him in
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: here because it was amazing what he did last year
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: he had. I mean, I wouldn't be actually, I wouldn't
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: be surprised if Alec Bohm is in the cleanup spot.
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: Before too long. He had twenty homers, ninety seven RBIs
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: a seven to sixty five ohps. He was improving his
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: power numbers for a third straight season. I think this
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: year he could potentially hit twenty five home runs just
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: and even providing better support for Bryce Harper. So like,
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: I just want to kind of give that. Maybe it's
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: an honorable mention here during this exercise to Alec Baum,
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: But for me, my breakout guy this year is somebody
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: you mentioned earlier, and it's Johann Rojas. Look, I don't
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: think you can get much worse than what he was
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: last year offensively, and I think because of that, he
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: really is going to be the breakout guy for much
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: of what you said just a few minutes ago. Eric,
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: But look, he's gonna have to hit better. He's gonna
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: have to and I think he will hit better than
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: the one seventy two sixty four for sixty four slash
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: line that he posted during this spring training to stay
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: in this lineup, and he's gonna do a lot better
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: than last season as well. You outlined it perfectly just
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: a few minutes ago. I really think Johann Rojas is
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: gonna be the breakout guy. He's he's got a lot
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: of fire within him, and the Phillies are giving him
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: every chance and every opportunity. He seems and appears to
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: be one of those guys who's really gonna see uh
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: sees that opportunity. So he's my breakout guy this year.
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: Great attitude and like really wants to be good. And
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: I think Schwarber's success this year is going to be
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: huge for Johann's success because if he's at the bottom
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: of that lineup, and you don't want to go up
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: against Shwarber leading off, batting to sixty or whatever and
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: like hitting doubles. But I'll say hitting home runs, that's
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: just gonna that's just gonna accelerate Johann's uh like drive
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: towards being a great center fielder because he's gonna see
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: pitches right because he wants to shorb. I I'm not
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: sure what's happen. I'm not sure what's gonna happen to
• 20:49
  Speaker 2: him this year. I I really. But but isn't that
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: the isn't the best part of baseball? Yes, Like, like
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: we have a really veteran team, you kind of know
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: what you have. But it's really nice to have guys
• 21:00
  Speaker 2: like like Bryson, Stott and Baum who I kind of
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: kind of know what they're gonna do. Yeah, But whereas
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: stop might become like m might go to the next level,
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: Johann is like the complete you should have had in here. Wildcard.
• 21:14
  Speaker 2: Johan is the absolute wildcard of this whole thing.
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: It's true, he absolutely could and if he bats like
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: two ten, great, but if he has like fifty stolen
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: bases and makes incredible plays in center field, it's it's
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: a win, you know what I mean?
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: Like, that's why baseball is great.
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: I exactly. I love that I have this breakout guy.
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: He was your rising star and he's also the wildcard.
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: We'll make up another another category here. Oh my gosh,
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: it's why baseball is great. Like you said, all right,
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: let's get to the dark horse MVP for this season
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: for the Phillies. Who is your player who you think
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: is gonna be the dark horse MVP?
• 21:48
  Speaker 2: I mean, the guy makes a ton of money, but
• 21:52
  Speaker 2: I think Trey Turner could absolutely be the MVP of
• 21:55
  Speaker 2: this entire team.
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: He's mine as well, and in fact, are the guy.
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: We were just the guy, the gentleman. I was just
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: talking to Eric that was his actually too, he said
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: it was Tray Turner. We all got Tray Turner. Man,
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: it makes perfect sense.
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: Like, guys signed that big contract and that first season
• 22:11
  Speaker 2: is kind of shaky. I mean, helly, you know, he
• 22:13
  Speaker 2: took a page out in the freaking paper and and
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: the fans cheered him on when he you know, he
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: came back during the regular season, had a good playoffs,
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: kind of had a rough series against the Timebacks. But
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: the guy's talented as shit. And he's thirty one, thirty
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: two years old. He's an awesome ballplayer. I could see
• 22:33
  Speaker 2: him having a monster, monster season with the Phillies in
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: his second He's comfortable. His family's there now, I'm my god.
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: We talked about how many times of like coaches having
• 22:43
  Speaker 2: to move all the time past a couple weeks on
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: the show, Like, how many times is he like he
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: came here. I'm sure his kids are in some freaking
• 22:51
  Speaker 2: awesome private school, but still it sucks. Man. You just
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: moved and you go right into a season. It's like,
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: is my wife comfortable? And my kids like like I
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: I just and then you got to deal with a
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: Philly fans. Jesus Christ.
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: Yes, what a nightmare in good ways and in bad
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: ways too, because look, I mean we know, look that
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: prolonged slump. I mean it was such a concern. We
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: talked about it on this show. It was the theme
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: of the Phillies for months. I mean, he was off
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: at the plate, just subpar from him at shortstop as
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: well with his defense. Nothing was clicking. He was just
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: out of sync. He seemed lost in the field, and
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: it's like, this is not the Trey Turner that we
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: have seen playing professional baseball for years. And then after
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: several rounds of standing ovations from a very passionate fan
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: base a Citizens Bank Park, that support from the fans
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: helped him then just turn things around. Where after that
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: he was averaging three point thirty seven that was his
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: batting average, sixteen home runs, forty two RBIs for the
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: rest of the regular season, and man like, he's got
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: that in him, and I think that's going to carry
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: over to this season for sure.
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: And we've seen so many good players signed with the
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: Phillies throughout the years. Yeah, in their entire career to tank, Yes,
• 24:07
  Speaker 2: that's perish like. But this guy signed a monster deal.
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: First season was shaky, but still almost got into the
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: Super super Bowl. My god, the World Series almost got
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: is there. It was that close he was. He was
• 24:21
  Speaker 2: awesome in the playoffs and I think like a full
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: season with the with the with this team, he's very comfortable.
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: I'm sure he's very The manager is fantastic, loves him,
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: and I could see him like being the absolute MVP
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: in case Harper has kind of an injury rattles season,
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: which is totally completely feasible, right right, Yeah, And I
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: could see him being that guy that guys get on
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: my back. We got this, Okay, I go my back
• 24:47
  Speaker 2: for two months and we got.
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: This all right? Very good. I would love to know
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: what folks are thinking out there, Philadelphia Sports Table at
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: gmail dot com. Who are your comeback kids or your
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: your your breakout guy, who your dark horse m V
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: he is? Would love to hear what you're thinking out there.
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: We'd love to read your email here on the show
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: as well and get into it. So got a few
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: more predictions that we're going to be getting into here.
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: Let's get into actually, let's get into our division predictions here. Eric,
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: I was thinking we would just do the NL East
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: and in terms of where the teams in the NL
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: East would end up here, but you know, we may
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: want to we may want to dive into the Al
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: maybe a little bit as well. But for your NL
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: East division predictions here, what do you think it's gonna
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: look like?
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: The Braves are going to win the division? They're they're
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: just freaking awesome, you know, they just have offense and
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: great pitching. Yep, they're gonna win it. And I think
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: the Phillies know it. And I think their manager is
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: like cool, He's like, Eric Expulstra, Sure, yeah, you guys
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: win it and we'll meet you and we'll meet you
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: in October. Right. I think the Braves win it. I
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: think the Phillies coming second, but obviously make the wild card.
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: All right, very good. I think the Yes, I think
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: the Phillies are going to get a wild card spot
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: Braves are going to win the division. After that, I
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: think it's going to be the Marlins in third, believe
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: it or not. And then I think it will be
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: the Mets and then the low le Washington Nationals. I
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: think that's how the division is going to end up,
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: all right, fantastic.
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: No, No, you could probably flip the Marlins and Mets
• 26:26
  Speaker 2: and don't think it matters.
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: But I think the Marlins are going to get better
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: this year as a team. I mean we saw some
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: stuff from them last year. I think they're going to
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: get better.
• 26:35
  Speaker 2: Well, you can't be shipped for so long without getting
• 26:37
  Speaker 2: good players and eventually win a little bit. I mean, right, yeah,
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: But like I think Braves and Phillies are the two teams.
• 26:46
  Speaker 4: And I.
• 26:47
  Speaker 2: Picked all the division winners, by the way, and I
• 26:50
  Speaker 2: wasn't I wasn't sure on your emails.
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: Oh no, I'm sorry. Well let's go through them. NL West.
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: Who do you think it's gonna be? If I had
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: to pick, I'm going to say the Dodgers. I'm gonna
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: go with the Dodgers. Who do you have?
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: I think just by just by pure talent and just
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: even with the Otani? Can we do the story on
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: that next week?
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: Maybe I was gonna put it in here, but I
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: was like, man, that's that's a law. That's gonna be
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: a discussion.
• 27:12
  Speaker 2: It's explicit. What the fuck is going on in that story.
• 27:16
  Speaker 2: It's crazy. It's such a weird His interpreter didn't go
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: to college where he said he did, I know, four
• 27:23
  Speaker 2: and a half million dollars, What the hell's going His
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: press commerce today kind of like squelched the rumors a
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: little bit. It was really good Otani's I think it was.
• 27:30
  Speaker 2: But yeah, but still, you never want to sign a
• 27:32
  Speaker 2: guy to a seven hundred million dollar contract and be like, dude,
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: what the fuck are you doing?
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: Like did we make a mistake?
• 27:42
  Speaker 2: Like I don't know what's happening? What the hell?
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: Yes, it really is amazing. We just need we need,
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: definitely need more time for that story to it. I'm
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: gonna say this right now, not only that story, but
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: there are just other stories throughout the United States that
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: have been going on in the world in general, where
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: you can be rich, you can have a lot of money,
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: and you cannot necessarily be an intelligent person. I'm just
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: saying that there's lots of those there's a lot of
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: those stories. Man, it's just amazing. I don't know, I
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: kind of grew up thinking that just smart people. I
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: just grew up thinking smart people, we're gonna be rich
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: and make a lot of money. No, that's not no,
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: no anyway, all right, let's keep moving on.
• 28:28
  Speaker 2: I wish as a laid off fella. I wish I
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: was a fucking dummy with tons of money.
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: I know, damn it, I know I screwed up. Yeah,
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: I know, I wish we were dummies. Well, well exactly,
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: all right, Al West here, who do you I'm gonna pick?
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna pick the Astros. I think you know, are you?
• 28:48
  Speaker 2: You're jumping around? Al West? Oh?
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: Did I got? Yeah? I sorry?
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: Right, uh yeah, Astros? Yeah, I think so.
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: All right, sounds good. Well, won't we stick with the
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: AA We'll go with the Al Central Twins twins. Yeah,
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna go with the twins as well. And uh,
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: let's go with the Al East Ooh, I'm thinking it's
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: gonna be the Orioles. Yep. Oh, yes, I don't know.
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: I could. I don't know. I could see the Yankees
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: possibly doing it. I don't know.
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: I think there'll be a wildcard team. Yeah, I'm hoping
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: Yankees Oriels meet in the ALCS honestly, but I think
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: the Oils do it this year. I think they go
• 29:30
  Speaker 2: to the World Series. Yeah, they're so stacked. Corbyn Burns
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: on that squad. Yep, there's so many young guys. It's
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: just incredible, incredible lineup the.
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: Razor in that division two. Man, they're such a good team.
• 29:43
  Speaker 2: Which is such a travesty because like everyone else in
• 29:46
  Speaker 2: the everyone else in the AL Central is just shit. Yes,
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: I mean get close, like it just sucks.
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: All right, let's get back to the NL here. NL Central.
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna take the Brewers here.
• 30:01
  Speaker 2: I like the Cubs. You can take the Cubs, all right.
• 30:03
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: I think they're a young, up and coming team. They
• 30:05
  Speaker 2: got a good squad. I think they're not going to
• 30:08
  Speaker 2: make any noise in the playoffs, but I like that
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: team a lot.
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: All right, very good? Do we get through all of them?
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: I think we got through all of them, didn't we?
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: That was it? All right? Very good?
• 30:17
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: Well let's get into some more Phillies predictions here. Regular
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: season record predictions for the Phillies. How many games, Eric,
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: do you think they're gonna end up winning this year?
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna go one game below last year because way below,
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: or two games because we do this every year. I know,
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: how many years do you and I try and pick
• 30:38
  Speaker 2: their fucking win totals? I'm gonna go lower because no,
• 30:43
  Speaker 2: I was right last year. You picked ninety one in
• 30:46
  Speaker 2: uh anyone. Yeah, yes, I'm going eight nine to seventy three.
• 30:51
  Speaker 2: They're gonna get in the wild card. It doesn't matter.
• 30:55
  Speaker 2: He wants to be the eight c just like in
• 30:56
  Speaker 2: the NBA. It doesn't fucking matter. Just get in, like
• 30:59
  Speaker 2: that's all I think. I think Orioles Phillies in the
• 31:02
  Speaker 2: World Series.
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: Oh my god, that would be so much that would
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: be so much fun. I've got them winning eighty eight games,
• 31:08
  Speaker 1: eighty eight and seventy four in the season, so we're
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: basically right there with each other.
• 31:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah, same I And I really hope it is because
• 31:16
  Speaker 2: would be such a young, cool team against a veteran team,
• 31:20
  Speaker 2: and it's right on the East Coast. It's it's a
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: fucking ninety five, you know. Well not anymore because yeah Bridge,
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: Oh geez, I know, oh geez.
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: Which was a terrorist or technomy? I don't go down
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: the Twitter black hole there.
• 31:36
  Speaker 2: Oh my god, Jeff. When I saw that story, I
• 31:39
  Speaker 2: woke up. I saw it. I'm like, oh no, yeah,
• 31:41
  Speaker 2: oh yeah, call you. I thought some other of my
• 31:45
  Speaker 2: friends and I'm like, this is this is a nightmare.
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: This is a really bad from Aerica. But I think
• 31:52
  Speaker 2: that's the World Series. I think that's going to be.
• 31:54
  Speaker 2: I really hope it is. I think it's actually a
• 31:56
  Speaker 2: realistic pick. And man, what a fucking series. It's going
• 31:59
  Speaker 2: to be Burns Wheeler. In Game one in Baltimore, Oh
• 32:03
  Speaker 2: my god, I short fortune. Oh my god, Harper and
• 32:09
  Speaker 2: schwar were just bombing them over the what do you
• 32:13
  Speaker 2: call it, the cal Ripken number thing the building? Yeah,
• 32:15
  Speaker 2: like over the building.
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: Oh my god. You know, I didn't even think about
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: because I was thinking for the next category and final category.
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: The Phillies playoff predictions. I mean, you're predicting them World Series,
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: World Series against the Orioles. I absolutely love that. I
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: was going to pick the Phillies to get to the
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: World Series as well. And this isn't Homer stuff, folks.
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: We have seen what this team has done over the
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: past couple of seasons here when they get in that's
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: I mean, that's why Dave Dombrowski does not care about
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: winning the division, because they know what this team can
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: do and how they can produce when they are in
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: the playoffs, when they can get into the postseason. Now,
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: of course we know that last year was a complete disaster.
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: I mean, a young Diamondbacks team who was what eighty
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: four and seventy eight. They squeeze into the playoffs as
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: the final nl wild card spot and it was an
• 33:05
  Speaker 1: O two hole that they were in in the NLCS,
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: and they won Game six and seven in Philadelphia. Just
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: stuff that doesn't happen ended up just going their way.
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: I don't think that's gonna happen this year. This Phillies team,
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: I'm predicting is gonna get to the World Series. And
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: I think that's a great World Series. Eric. I think
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: the Oorals could win one hundred games.
• 33:24
  Speaker 2: This year easily. And I'll go back to all of
• 33:28
  Speaker 2: our categories here. I think the reason why the Phillies
• 33:31
  Speaker 2: could get to the World Series is because in the playoffs,
• 33:35
  Speaker 2: who watched it? Starting pitching was good, bullpen was great,
• 33:38
  Speaker 2: but it was just all home runs. Yeah, and like
• 33:41
  Speaker 2: it was just not situational hitting. It was fun to watch,
• 33:46
  Speaker 2: but like by Game five of the NLCS, I'm like,
• 33:49
  Speaker 2: this is getting ugly. I'm getting scared. Yeah, like cassianis
• 33:54
  Speaker 2: is hitting home runs were kind of fucked yeah over here,
• 33:57
  Speaker 2: But like if Bryson Stott, Farro has gets on basis,
• 34:01
  Speaker 2: sureward bats do fifty like this stuff we kind of
• 34:03
  Speaker 2: talked about, that's absolutely definitely possible, like that that's going
• 34:07
  Speaker 2: to lead to situational hitting and better actual baseball than
• 34:12
  Speaker 2: just boom bingo home runs, bingo baseball. Like just yeah,
• 34:17
  Speaker 2: I really think if all the things, if only two
• 34:20
  Speaker 2: of those like three four things happen, I think that's better.
• 34:26
  Speaker 2: It's a better situation than to get back to the
• 34:28
  Speaker 2: World Series. And I know it feels like they're going
• 34:31
  Speaker 2: backwards World Series NLCS, they should probably lose an NLTS. No,
• 34:36
  Speaker 2: I actually feel like, I think this team is that
• 34:39
  Speaker 2: good and they have they have the right chemistry, Like,
• 34:42
  Speaker 2: I think they can actually get back for real. This
• 34:44
  Speaker 2: is not homerism.
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: And next we are going to get into some initial
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: thoughts and discussion about the NFL and specifically the Eagles
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: draft picks. As we were digesting what we just saw,
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: Howie Roseman and the Eagles front office picking Quinnon Mitchell
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: and also taking Cooper Dejen what the NFL draft meant
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: to us. Let's get to that now, all right, we
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: are back and as we mentioned some doing a little
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: storytelling at the top of the show, we got together
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: for the NFL Draft a bunch of us buddies and
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: enjoyed and it actually sat down and we're watching the
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: draft from time to time because we've had those those years,
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: Eric where we kind of like, all right, we're just
• 35:25
  Speaker 1: getting together the excuse to our wives and kids, we're
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: gonna watch the draft, and then we're like, all right,
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: we're not really watching the draft, but we actually like
• 35:33
  Speaker 1: sat back watched the draft. We're excited about who the
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: Eagles were gonna take. Amazingly enough, getting too, getting a cornerback,
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: a defensive back that just landed right in their freaking laps.
• 35:46
  Speaker 1: And overall, I mean the consensus draft board, everybody's saying, yes,
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: the Eagles basically won the draft. So many of the
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: within the consensus boards have said that a lot of
• 35:58
  Speaker 1: criticism too about how we Roseman and how he just
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: handles the draft to saw that on Twitter as well.
• 36:04
  Speaker 1: But overall, and I mentioned this on the I think
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: it was our table talk show this past week. It
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: was with Oj Spivey from the Philadelphia Tribune. It really
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: amazed me that we saw our first defensive player taken
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: at the pick number fifteen. It took fifteen picks for
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: a defensive player to be picked. And the reason it
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: surprises me is this past year was the year of
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: the defense. Scoring was down this year in the NFL,
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: and I thought, you know, we were going to start
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: to see that pendulum swing in a little bit more
• 36:35
  Speaker 1: where defensive players were going to be picked up a
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: lot sooner than pick fifteen. Of course, the quarterbacks made
• 36:42
  Speaker 1: a huge run wide receivers as well. It's still offense.
• 36:47
  Speaker 1: The league is still offense. And that's really what we
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: saw at the end of the day in this draft.
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: I mean, aside from the Philadelphia Eagles taking Quinnon Mitchell
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: with their first pick and Cooper de Gene with their
• 36:59
  Speaker 1: second pick. Just too they needed two defensive backs, they
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: certainly got them. So I don't know what were your
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: reflections on this draft or the Eagles draft in general.
• 37:11
  Speaker 2: Well, I'll start with the draft overall consensus. Honestly, I
• 37:17
  Speaker 2: it's I've heard such mixed reviews of this draft. I
• 37:20
  Speaker 2: listened to the podcast, and I try to listen to
• 37:22
  Speaker 2: the smart people, and I try to listen to the
• 37:24
  Speaker 2: dumb people who just try to put on a show
• 37:26
  Speaker 2: just to see like stupid their analysis is. And it's
• 37:30
  Speaker 2: a lot of mix takes like offense is the way,
• 37:34
  Speaker 2: this is the way that the league is going, And
• 37:36
  Speaker 2: I'm like, well, last year the Super Bowl was twenty
• 37:39
  Speaker 2: five to twenty two. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl
• 37:42
  Speaker 2: with a much better defense they had in the past. Like,
• 37:45
  Speaker 2: let's just face it, it was not the offense that won it.
• 37:47
  Speaker 2: The score was thirteen or ten to three at halftime, Yeah,
• 37:50
  Speaker 2: the Super Bowl, So like let's put that into perspective.
• 37:54
  Speaker 2: I think I think the offensive players are more exciting, obviously,
• 37:59
  Speaker 2: and and I I thought the defensive players dropping that
• 38:05
  Speaker 2: far to fifteen while it helped out teams like the Seahawks,
• 38:08
  Speaker 2: and I think the Colts and the Eagles obviously awesome,
• 38:13
  Speaker 2: but it makes the league look kind of stupid, like
• 38:15
  Speaker 2: they're following, just following trends with the trends that aren't
• 38:17
  Speaker 2: really there. Like the again, last year was the year
• 38:20
  Speaker 2: of the defense, right, Yeah, like sure, the explosive offense works,
• 38:24
  Speaker 2: but like you know, if you're in Buffalo or Kansas
• 38:27
  Speaker 2: City in January and it's ten degrees, it's going to
• 38:31
  Speaker 2: be ten to three the score. Like, defense tends to
• 38:34
  Speaker 2: win the wins, the to win to win these things
• 38:38
  Speaker 2: and I thought it was kind of a disgrace on
• 38:40
  Speaker 2: some of the team's parts that I still don't know
• 38:42
  Speaker 2: what the hell the Bears were doing picking one to nine,
• 38:45
  Speaker 2: Like they took a receiver at nine, and I'm like,
• 38:47
  Speaker 2: why don't you trade down, just take the best defensive player,
• 38:49
  Speaker 2: the best defensive tackle there on the board. Makes sense
• 38:52
  Speaker 2: to me, you already happens. I just thought like some
• 38:55
  Speaker 2: of the teams got a little too cute, and definitely
• 38:58
  Speaker 2: some of the quarterback picks. But as far as the
• 39:00
  Speaker 2: Eagles go, loved it. And I'm going to steal something
• 39:04
  Speaker 2: I heard that Michael Lombardi say on his podcast because
• 39:07
  Speaker 2: I it was a great take.
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: I'd never even thought of this. This was kind of
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: the first year that the nil thing kicked in for
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: money for college players, and he pointed out that how
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: he did an amazing job of trading back, trading back
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: and getting picks in the third, fourth, and fifth round
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: next year, because picks in the third and fourth round
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: this year just not as valuable because a lot of
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: players are going to stay in college like this draft
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: was not. It was a little top heavy, and then
• 39:36
  Speaker 1: it kind of died after the third round. And his
• 39:38
  Speaker 1: point was a lot of kids are staying in school
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: and did not come out because of the NIL money,
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: and Howie was smart enough to go. This thing dies
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: after like the third and a half round. I'm going
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: to get picks next year when they come back down
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: and they realize the NIL is not that profitable to
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: players unless you're Caleb Williams. I was like, Wow, that
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: is a smart.
• 39:56
  Speaker 2: That's pretty profound. Actually, yeah, pretty intelligent take. And how
• 40:00
  Speaker 2: he's smart enough to I realized how he probably knew that.
• 40:03
  Speaker 2: And as soon as he said, I'm like, that makes
• 40:05
  Speaker 2: a lot more sense that he made like what nine
• 40:08
  Speaker 2: to ten trades, the most trades in NFL draft history.
• 40:11
  Speaker 2: How does it just do it?
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: To do it?
• 40:13
  Speaker 2: I think he had a hit a process behind and
• 40:16
  Speaker 2: I was like, wow, that's a smart and just having
• 40:18
  Speaker 2: heard that and just the players that fell into their
• 40:20
  Speaker 2: lap that that defense was a disaster by the end
• 40:24
  Speaker 2: of the year, and they pick guys that are absolutely
• 40:26
  Speaker 2: going to fill in spots, and especially with Vic Fangio's defense, right, yep.
• 40:30
  Speaker 2: He needs hard hitting safeties, he needs good corners, and
• 40:33
  Speaker 2: he got to maybe a decent edge rusher.
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: He's a crazy first name with Honestly, I saw his
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: name and I'm like, is this moral of combat?
• 40:45
  Speaker 2: Like that sense?
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: But yeah, I thought the Eagles draft, not just the
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: players they picked and what they wound up with and
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: not having to give up much, just the way he
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: navigated it in light of like the stuff that Lombardi
• 40:57
  Speaker 1: talked about was like pretty brilliant. Hope you have been
• 41:01
  Speaker 1: enjoying going back into twenty twenty four, back into the
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: archive and vault here at the PST podcast show with
• 41:09
  Speaker 1: some Phillies talk and some Eagles talk and NFL talk
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: after the draft. But right now we're going to take
• 41:14
  Speaker 1: a quick break to pay some bills. We'll be back
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: in just a bit. All right, we are back. Let's
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: get to one of our lists from this past year.
• 41:24
  Speaker 1: Hope you enjoy it. Hope you enjoy revisiting it. We'll
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: be back in just a bit with some Flyers talk.
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: Let's move along here with the show and get into
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: our new top three list. It's our top three. I
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: wouldn't be surprised if in the world of Philly sports
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: blink happened here in two thousand and twenty four. Eric,
• 41:45
  Speaker 1: what's your number three here? That you wouldn't be surprised
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: if it happened here in the world of Philly sports. Okay,
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna start positive. I'm gon knock on wood right now.
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: You know, there you get claim breaking awesome. We'll not
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: be surprised if Phillies won the world, all right. They
• 42:02
  Speaker 1: they are an absolute juggernaut right now. And it's not
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: It's not the stars, Like I'm not talking about Bryce
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: Harper is who he is and Nick Castellano's had a
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: huge hit last night, the one that they won the
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: game two to one against the Brewers.
• 42:16
  Speaker 2: Not talking about that. I'm talking about the guy like
• 42:18
  Speaker 2: I'm talking about Sosa stepping in, you know, and bat
• 42:21
  Speaker 2: in three oh eight in Trey Turner's absence, talking about
• 42:25
  Speaker 2: Sanchez stepping up and just being an a in asen spots.
• 42:31
  Speaker 2: You know, I'm not talking Suarez and Wheeler and Nola.
• 42:33
  Speaker 2: I'm talking like the guys stepping up. It's that kind
• 42:36
  Speaker 2: of stuff. It's like, Wow, this team is for real,
• 42:38
  Speaker 2: you know, and they they deserve the best record in baseball.
• 42:41
  Speaker 2: Alec Baum was awesome last night. He's been awesome all season.
• 42:44
  Speaker 2: It's just it's a little things about this team that
• 42:48
  Speaker 2: make me feel like this is not it. This is
• 42:50
  Speaker 2: not an early season Fluke. I'm sure they're gonna like
• 42:53
  Speaker 2: they're gonna they're gonna trail off a little bit here.
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: There's just there's no way to be that hot. They're
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: not gonna be one hundred twenty games win the World Series.
• 42:59
  Speaker 2: But they have stepped up. Rob Thompson has them, has
• 43:03
  Speaker 2: all the non key players playing really well. And that's
• 43:07
  Speaker 2: the kind of thing it jumps out to me about
• 43:09
  Speaker 2: a team like this and the bullpen a solid, they
• 43:11
  Speaker 2: still have moves to make. I would not be surprisedingly
• 43:13
  Speaker 2: won the World Series and had like the best record
• 43:15
  Speaker 2: in baseball. It just feels like that kind of season
• 43:17
  Speaker 2: right now.
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: It really feels like that. That's the vibes right now
• 43:20
  Speaker 1: at this point. I mean, if you had to say
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: who the World Series was going to be right here
• 43:24
  Speaker 1: as starting June, it'd be the Phillies and it'd be
• 43:27
  Speaker 1: the Yankees, man, I mean, and what a World Series
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: that would be at this point. And it is hard
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: to argue that at this particular point in time that
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: the Phillies just wouldn't take it to the Yankees. Given
• 43:38
  Speaker 1: that everything is running on all cylinders. I'm going to
• 43:42
  Speaker 1: get to that in my list in a little bit here.
• 43:47
  Speaker 1: So for me my number three and Buddy, I know
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: you probably aren't going to be able to talk too
• 43:51
  Speaker 1: too much about this, but Flyers maybe it is Flyers. Yes, yes,
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't be surprised. Well, here's the thing I said.
• 43:58
  Speaker 1: If this happened in two thousand twenty four, technically be
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty five. But I wouldn't be surprised if, in
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: the world of Philly sports, the Philadelphia Flyers get to
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: the playoffs next season at the start of twenty twenty
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: four twenty twenty five season, it should say, ending the
• 44:14
  Speaker 1: two thousand and the end of that season in twenty
• 44:18
  Speaker 1: twenty five, they get to the playoffs and make a
• 44:20
  Speaker 1: bit of a run. I would not be surprised by
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: that at all, given the fact that, yes, the team
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: is still in a rebuild. They were potentially going to
• 44:28
  Speaker 1: get to the playoffs this past season until they had
• 44:30
  Speaker 1: a major slide. There's a lot of energy on this
• 44:33
  Speaker 1: Flyers team, and the pieces are being put into place
• 44:37
  Speaker 1: during this rebuild. Well, we're figuring out, the coaches are
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: figuring out, the organization's figuring out who is going to
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: be the next generation of leaders, who who is playing
• 44:48
  Speaker 1: to which strengths on the ice, And it just wouldn't
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: surprise me if the Flyers, given the spark of this
• 44:56
  Speaker 1: past season, pushes them and gives them some momentum, even
• 45:01
  Speaker 1: more momentum I think this coming year to say, you
• 45:03
  Speaker 1: know what, we can do this. Everybody counted us out,
• 45:05
  Speaker 1: everybody's gonna continue to count us out. We're gonna we're
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: gonna get through this and we're gonna get to the
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: fucking playoffs and we're gonna make a little bit of
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: a run. So that that's that's my first one. I
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: don't know if you have much to say response to
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: that because it's Flyers.
• 45:18
  Speaker 2: But well, I'll say this. They're a young team and
• 45:21
  Speaker 2: usually it takes a spark season to kind of cap off, yeah,
• 45:25
  Speaker 2: or to kind of kick off a big season. And they,
• 45:30
  Speaker 2: excuse me, they played really well this year. They had
• 45:33
  Speaker 2: that that slide. It probably would have made the playoffs,
• 45:35
  Speaker 2: and god knows, maybe they make a run this year.
• 45:37
  Speaker 2: Who knows. But we're also at the point with this
• 45:42
  Speaker 2: team that like it is so oberdue my scots, Like
• 45:47
  Speaker 2: when's the last time they made any sort of run.
• 45:48
  Speaker 2: It's twenty.
• 45:52
  Speaker 1: Like a real run. It's it's been a long time. Yes, Well,
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: what's your not what's your number two? Here? What is
• 45:59
  Speaker 1: your number two?
• 46:01
  Speaker 2: So my number two is one that could could sneak
• 46:04
  Speaker 2: into twenty twenty five as well. But I'm going to
• 46:07
  Speaker 2: go off of the potential of a bad offseason for
• 46:11
  Speaker 2: the Sixers and my my, I'm gonna go negative my
• 46:15
  Speaker 2: next two.
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: Okay, So you wouldn't be surprised if in the world
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: of Philly sports this happened in twenty twenty four five.
• 46:22
  Speaker 2: And Be'd asked for a trade. Ah.
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I got a feeling you might be saying that one.
• 46:27
  Speaker 2: So all the talk is Paul George is gonna come
• 46:30
  Speaker 2: and we'll have a big three of George Maxie and
• 46:33
  Speaker 2: then be which basketball wise, Holy shit, does that make sense? Man?
• 46:37
  Speaker 2: What a great three pairing that would be. And you
• 46:40
  Speaker 2: just mix and shooters and good defenders around them and
• 46:43
  Speaker 2: get a real point guard as well. Awesome if they
• 46:47
  Speaker 2: could do it. I don't think it's going to happen.
• 46:49
  Speaker 2: I'm not sure why PG three or thirteen winner those
• 46:52
  Speaker 2: name is. Would he'd be leaving a situation. He's like,
• 46:57
  Speaker 2: I'm sick of this. Kawhi Leonard guy being hurt all
• 46:59
  Speaker 2: the time to go to another team where the guy's
• 47:01
  Speaker 2: hurt all the time any as well, Like, why would
• 47:04
  Speaker 2: he do that? I think a lot of six Ers
• 47:07
  Speaker 2: fans I think he's it's like a done deal. It's
• 47:10
  Speaker 2: gonna happen. I don't I don't really see it myself.
• 47:13
  Speaker 2: And if they just go into next season and sign
• 47:16
  Speaker 2: a bunch of like Kelly Ubres, I love Kelly Ubray. Kelly,
• 47:19
  Speaker 2: Youubray ain't gonna get you the finals. He can't be
• 47:21
  Speaker 2: your third best player.
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 47:22
  Speaker 2: I just feel like if they don't have a great offseason,
• 47:25
  Speaker 2: they don't bring all this talent in with all the
• 47:28
  Speaker 2: cap space they have, and say they start out like
• 47:32
  Speaker 2: you know, twelve and thirty or something, twelve and twenty five,
• 47:36
  Speaker 2: they're just having an off season and he looks and
• 47:40
  Speaker 2: me looks sluggish and he's not happy, and Maxi's scoring
• 47:43
  Speaker 2: all the points, Like I could not shock me. By
• 47:46
  Speaker 2: end of December, I went out trade me. I want
• 47:50
  Speaker 2: to move on.
• 47:51
  Speaker 1: I could see it. I could see it. There there
• 47:53
  Speaker 1: is a path to that, and you just outlined it.
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: A crappy offseason and at least but it leads me
• 48:00
  Speaker 1: to believe that they then have to get they have
• 48:04
  Speaker 1: to get Paul George. And my gosh, how many times
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: is Lennon and I talking about Paul George. I've talked
• 48:08
  Speaker 1: with other folks on here about Paul George too, and
• 48:10
  Speaker 1: it's like, I'm honestly, I'm not like that excited if
• 48:13
  Speaker 1: it were to happen. I mean, it might be cold.
• 48:16
  Speaker 1: I mean it's gonna be cool in some ways, but like,
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: I don't know. The guy's no spring Chicken here, and.
• 48:22
  Speaker 2: That that's the funny part. I I was all pumped
• 48:26
  Speaker 2: up about it, and then I brought I pulled up
• 48:28
  Speaker 2: his basketball reference page on my phone. I'm like, holy shit,
• 48:32
  Speaker 2: this is like his fifteenth year. Yes, he's like thirty
• 48:36
  Speaker 2: four years old, Like what the hell happened? Like when
• 48:37
  Speaker 2: did that happen? Like holy Signing him is not guarantee
• 48:43
  Speaker 2: a title or anything, but it probably guarantees the commitment
• 48:48
  Speaker 2: you show to him that you want to win. Right
• 48:50
  Speaker 2: to humbeat, It's say yes, but if it doesn't happen,
• 48:54
  Speaker 2: like I said, they just kind of sprinkle in veterans
• 48:56
  Speaker 2: and some decent players. It's like you're walking a tight
• 48:59
  Speaker 2: rope of him wanting the hell out of Philadelphia.
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: So yeah, I do think at some point, and we're
• 49:04
  Speaker 1: going to talk about this more over the course of
• 49:05
  Speaker 1: the summer, during this offseason, I think Daryl Moury may
• 49:08
  Speaker 1: actually make a trade with somebody that we don't even know,
• 49:10
  Speaker 1: that's not even on our radar at this point.
• 49:13
  Speaker 2: Well, Jeff, I think Maury knows that too. I think
• 49:16
  Speaker 2: mour knows and beat is is is like one inch
• 49:21
  Speaker 2: away from going I want out of here. Y. This
• 49:23
  Speaker 2: isn't working even though he's responsible for all this shit,
• 49:27
  Speaker 2: y in beeat for the whole fucking process at this point,
• 49:31
  Speaker 2: but I think he knows, like I'm so close to
• 49:33
  Speaker 2: him wanting out, I need I have to nail this offseason.
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: Yep. All right, Well, my number two is we're moving
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: along here deals with the Philadelphia Eagles, and it maybe
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: it may sound a little bizarre. I'm gonna be talking
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: about the linebacker position middle of the field from the
• 49:50
  Speaker 1: defensive standpoint with our guest Lou Dibiassi in a little bit,
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: but with the Philadelphia Eagles, it wouldn't surprise me if
• 49:58
  Speaker 1: the Eagles linebackers are better than expected this coming year.
• 50:02
  Speaker 1: And yes, we haven't seen much from Nikobe Dean because
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: he has been injured during his entire tenure on this team.
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: But I have this thing in the back of my
• 50:13
  Speaker 1: mind where the right inside linebacker coming in Devin White
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: who was acquired during free agency, also Zach Bond as well,
• 50:23
  Speaker 1: and you know where they're gonna. I mean, Nolan Smith
• 50:25
  Speaker 1: is basically gonna be a pass rusher, but I mean
• 50:27
  Speaker 1: Vic Fangio, he may have him dropping into coverage every
• 50:31
  Speaker 1: now and then. I think that this is a it's
• 50:33
  Speaker 1: still a young group who has a very, very high ceiling,
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: and it would not surprise me if this Eagles linebacker
• 50:41
  Speaker 1: corps this year really raises some eyebrows and really surprises us.
• 50:45
  Speaker 1: And I think if Nikobe Dean actually does stay healthy,
• 50:48
  Speaker 1: I think he's gonna show us something too, because regardless
• 50:51
  Speaker 1: of his injuries, he's still been learning. He's still been
• 50:53
  Speaker 1: learning with these players and this defense. I have some
• 50:56
  Speaker 1: high hopes for this Eagles linebacker corps here.
• 50:59
  Speaker 2: Eric, I'm glad you do listen when they when they
• 51:04
  Speaker 2: drafted Dean, wasn't like the injury thing always on the table. Yeah, yeah,
• 51:09
  Speaker 2: So I'm not surprised that that's gone. That that's kind
• 51:12
  Speaker 2: of God of come to fruition a little bit, but
• 51:15
  Speaker 2: it kind of get better. You know, they haven't good
• 51:16
  Speaker 2: had they haven't had a good set of linebackers since
• 51:18
  Speaker 2: they won the Super Bowl yep, back in twenty seventeen.
• 51:22
  Speaker 1: T J. Edwards was great, I mean, but they they
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: had to let him go in free agency. They weren't
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: going to pay him and stuff, and he's he actually
• 51:27
  Speaker 1: has turned out to be a pretty good linebacker, even
• 51:29
  Speaker 1: for the Chicago Bears.
• 51:31
  Speaker 2: And they haven't had a They did not have a
• 51:33
  Speaker 2: legit defensive coordinator last year. So maybe maybe the addition
• 51:38
  Speaker 2: of a Fangio could reignite the lineback and court my
• 51:43
  Speaker 2: last one, yeah ties into that. And if the linebacking
• 51:46
  Speaker 2: corp fails and the Eagles kind of kind of don't
• 51:51
  Speaker 2: have a good start to the season, yeah, I wouldn't
• 51:53
  Speaker 2: be shocked Nick Sterry and he gets fired. Oh man, yeah, wow,
• 51:58
  Speaker 2: that one might that one might leak into twenty twenty
• 52:00
  Speaker 2: five as well. But man, the moves they made, like
• 52:04
  Speaker 2: they sign Saquon they have they lock up their two
• 52:08
  Speaker 2: receivers for a shit ton of money. They're paying their
• 52:10
  Speaker 2: quarterback already, Like once you start paying guys, if the
• 52:14
  Speaker 2: if the coach can't make them win. The gm A
• 52:18
  Speaker 2: getting fired right, like, he ain't going anywhere, the owner
• 52:21
  Speaker 2: ain't going anywhere. You're the only one left. They hired
• 52:26
  Speaker 2: new coordinators all over the place. You're the only one
• 52:28
  Speaker 2: left in the previous regime. So if this doesn't work
• 52:31
  Speaker 2: and they are like, give me a record like five
• 52:35
  Speaker 2: and six and they're floundering, right, yeah, who's on the
• 52:39
  Speaker 2: chopping block. It's it's gonna be no one else can
• 52:42
  Speaker 2: get rid of. So I don't think they would do
• 52:44
  Speaker 2: it during the season.
• 52:45
  Speaker 1: But if things go really south and this whole thing implodes,
• 52:51
  Speaker 1: him getting fired is probably I don't think I'm I
• 52:54
  Speaker 1: don't think I'm like speaking out of turn like that.
• 52:56
  Speaker 2: He It could. It could absolutely happen if this doesn't
• 52:59
  Speaker 2: go well.
• 53:00
  Speaker 1: I'll tell you, unless the defense absolutely shits the bed
• 53:03
  Speaker 1: week after week after.
• 53:05
  Speaker 2: Week, which they did last year at the end of
• 53:07
  Speaker 2: hime they did.
• 53:08
  Speaker 1: But Vic Fangio, because he's Vic Fangio, is not getting fired.
• 53:12
  Speaker 1: Kellen Moore coming over from the Chargers, but with the
• 53:16
  Speaker 1: Dallas Cowboys for all those years and beloved in that
• 53:20
  Speaker 1: particular town, and just what he has meant to the
• 53:23
  Speaker 1: NFC's division. I don't think he's getting fired either. I
• 53:26
  Speaker 1: think you make a really good point here.
• 53:28
  Speaker 2: You're not firing Howie. No, you're not firing. You're not
• 53:30
  Speaker 2: firing Jalen. You know, firing the receivers. Right, there's just
• 53:34
  Speaker 2: one guy left to fire, and he's the one.
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: So all right, I like it. Well, my number one,
• 53:40
  Speaker 1: We're going to go back to the Philadelphia Phillies here, buddy,
• 53:42
  Speaker 1: because look, as as much as I love the season,
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: we're gonna remember this season for a very long time,
• 53:48
  Speaker 1: I think. But it wouldn't surprise me. It would not
• 53:53
  Speaker 1: surprise me here in twenty twenty four and within this
• 53:56
  Speaker 1: Philly season if the Phillies started to slide after the
• 53:59
  Speaker 1: All Star Game. And I say this because not from
• 54:03
  Speaker 1: necessarily an offensive standpoint. This bullpen is fucking incredible and
• 54:10
  Speaker 1: we haven't seen too too many incredible bullpens down at
• 54:14
  Speaker 1: Citizens Bank Park and beyond, and holy shit, part of
• 54:19
  Speaker 1: me says, they just can't keep it up. They just
• 54:22
  Speaker 1: can't keep up this dominance, for God's say. And I'm
• 54:24
  Speaker 1: just talking about the bullpen. I'm not talking about the
• 54:26
  Speaker 1: starting rotation at all. When you've got Wheeler, Nola, Sanchez
• 54:32
  Speaker 1: and you've got Ranger Squarez just absolutely murdering too. I'm
• 54:36
  Speaker 1: not even talking about the starting rotation. I'm saying the
• 54:38
  Speaker 1: bullpen is so on fire. It wouldn't surprise me if
• 54:44
  Speaker 1: we started to see some slide after the All Star
• 54:46
  Speaker 1: break with regard to the bullpen, to kind of just
• 54:48
  Speaker 1: get things back to some sort of i'd say, quote
• 54:50
  Speaker 1: normalcy within the game of baseball. So it wouldn't surprise me.
• 54:55
  Speaker 1: I don't need to end this on a Debbie Downer
• 54:57
  Speaker 1: note here, but it just wouldn't surprise me.
• 55:00
  Speaker 2: I can't believe I'm the positive Phillies fan on this one.
• 55:02
  Speaker 2: I know, but but it doesn't negate my longtime theory
• 55:08
  Speaker 2: that like one year you have an awesome bullpen, the
• 55:11
  Speaker 2: next year it's gonna be shit guaranteed, and then the
• 55:15
  Speaker 2: next year it's gonna be awesome. They've had a good
• 55:17
  Speaker 2: bullpen for like what two years now in a row,
• 55:20
  Speaker 2: right like the fact they're playing really well now.
• 55:23
  Speaker 1: This is lights out dominant. I mean they are lights
• 55:26
  Speaker 1: out dominant right now. Like Jeff Hoffman, Jesus Christ.
• 55:29
  Speaker 2: I know where the fuck did he come from? But
• 55:31
  Speaker 2: what I what I will say is that's the one
• 55:34
  Speaker 2: spot you can make some small moves, small trades and upgrade.
• 55:38
  Speaker 2: That's that's that's probably the easiest one to have an upgrade,
• 55:43
  Speaker 2: especially when you're like you have plenty of money, you
• 55:45
  Speaker 2: have lots of trade assets. Yeah, and you have a
• 55:47
  Speaker 2: lot you have a lot of teams that suck ass,
• 55:49
  Speaker 2: Like the A's are just out there going. Do you
• 55:52
  Speaker 2: want our bullpen guys come takeing? Oh my god, it's
• 55:57
  Speaker 2: like Major League, Like give us a new plane or
• 55:59
  Speaker 2: new yes ice tug or whatever. That's the one spot
• 56:04
  Speaker 2: to have some upgrades. But I completely agree with you, like,
• 56:07
  Speaker 2: how can that? How can we have a good bullpen
• 56:10
  Speaker 2: three years in a row? Like it doesn't seem possible.
• 56:13
  Speaker 1: I know, I know, it's like something's got to slide here,
• 56:16
  Speaker 1: but uh, let's keep enjoying it. We'll keep enjoying it,
• 56:19
  Speaker 1: and we hope you're enjoying the content here at the
• 56:21
  Speaker 1: PSD podcast show. Subscribe if you are new to listening
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: to us, we'd appreciate that. If you're on Apple Podcasts
• 56:27
  Speaker 1: or any other podcast platform, you can rate and review
• 56:29
  Speaker 1: the show. We'd appreciate that as well. Anything happens to
• 56:32
  Speaker 1: your podcast feed, head on over to Philadelphia Sports table
• 56:35
  Speaker 1: dot com. We've got all of our shows over there,
• 56:37
  Speaker 1: and we'd love to hear from you as well. Shoot
• 56:38
  Speaker 1: us off an email, correspond with us Philadelphia Sports Table
• 56:42
  Speaker 1: at gmail dot com. You can follow Eric on the
• 56:45
  Speaker 1: Twitter slash x at but is it gonna be? Is
• 56:48
  Speaker 1: it still gonna be? X? I saw? I saw, I
• 56:51
  Speaker 1: saw that the idiot that runs that freaking site actually
• 56:54
  Speaker 1: put up a poll. Should we go back to just
• 56:56
  Speaker 1: calling it Twitter? You did that this past week. It's like,
• 56:58
  Speaker 1: what are you doing?
• 57:00
  Speaker 4: Like, what are you doing?
• 57:01
  Speaker 1: He's just trolling everybody.
• 57:04
  Speaker 2: It's almost like he does know how to run a business.
• 57:06
  Speaker 2: He's just steeals idea. I'm just a thought.
• 57:08
  Speaker 1: Yes, that was a fun list for sure, And as
• 57:13
  Speaker 1: I promised, we're gonna get into some Flyers talk from
• 57:15
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty four where uh Len and I were specifically
• 57:18
  Speaker 1: talking about if this Flyers team heading into the season
• 57:23
  Speaker 1: had a one D defenseman on this roster. And of
• 57:27
  Speaker 1: course we know how certain members of this defense have
• 57:29
  Speaker 1: been performing here in this twenty twenty four twenty twenty
• 57:32
  Speaker 1: five season. It's been an interesting year. It was an
• 57:35
  Speaker 1: interesting discussion with Len and I. Take a listen as
• 57:38
  Speaker 1: we're moving along with the conversation, and moving along with
• 57:41
  Speaker 1: the discussion here, let's get into some Philadelphia Flyers talk.
• 57:45
  Speaker 1: It's the off season, not too too much is going
• 57:48
  Speaker 1: on with this team, but Len this past week, I'm
• 57:50
  Speaker 1: thinking to myself about the defenseman on this team, and
• 57:54
  Speaker 1: it doesn't appear that they really have that solid one
• 57:58
  Speaker 1: D guy on the team. But it's not a terrible
• 58:03
  Speaker 1: defensive corps. You've got Cam York, Travis Sandheim, Jamie Drysdale,
• 58:08
  Speaker 1: Oliver Bank, Hunter McDonald, Hunter McDonald, Emil Andre Can any
• 58:14
  Speaker 1: of these players here possibly make that jump and become
• 58:17
  Speaker 1: a true top line defender in the future for this team.
• 58:23
  Speaker 1: We look at Travis Sandheim here, I think we know
• 58:27
  Speaker 1: who Travis Sandheim is at this point. He's a great
• 58:30
  Speaker 1: number three. He's a pretty good number two, but he's
• 58:34
  Speaker 1: not a number one. I think you would agree with that, right, Yeah,
• 58:37
  Speaker 1: I would define okay, Cam York from what we have
• 58:40
  Speaker 1: seen from him thus far, I like what we've seen
• 58:44
  Speaker 1: from Cam York, but I don't necessarily think that he
• 58:47
  Speaker 1: has showcased like the dynamic aspects of his game that
• 58:52
  Speaker 1: we've kind of been wanting, especially when it comes to
• 58:55
  Speaker 1: really being able to move the puck. He seems to
• 58:58
  Speaker 1: be another possible. Travis Sandheim ish a great a really
• 59:02
  Speaker 1: great number three, a pretty good number two, not a
• 59:06
  Speaker 1: number one. I think Jamie Drysdale is the guy here.
• 59:09
  Speaker 1: Oliver Bonk even are the two guys who have that
• 59:12
  Speaker 1: ceiling and possibility of maybe being that one D player
• 59:16
  Speaker 1: from what we have seen thus far, I don't know.
• 59:19
  Speaker 1: I think Bank took a huge leap last season in
• 59:22
  Speaker 1: his development, and with Jamie Drysdale, he's got to stay healthy.
• 59:26
  Speaker 1: Of course, I see these guys as as possessing borderline
• 59:31
  Speaker 1: first pair upside that That's my thoughts looking at where
• 59:34
  Speaker 1: this defense is right now, and of course I think
• 59:37
  Speaker 1: Danny Brier in the front office they are going to
• 59:40
  Speaker 1: end up Len I think really trying to make a
• 59:42
  Speaker 1: move if it's not this coming before this coming trade deadline,
• 59:46
  Speaker 1: and I know the season hasn't even started yet, but
• 59:49
  Speaker 1: or maybe next next offseason to really get that that
• 59:54
  Speaker 1: that that first pair upside that they have been looking
• 59:57
  Speaker 1: to get, or that just that first that one D guy.
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 1: I don't know what are your thoughts here with all this?
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 1: Do you agree with what I'm saying? Disagree? What are
• 1:00:04
  Speaker 1: you thinking?
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 2: No?
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 1: I I I agree.
• 1:00:06
  Speaker 2: I don't see a clear cut.
• 1:00:08
  Speaker 4: This is our our our guy, this is our our
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 4: you know, number one defenseman, our victor headman. Are you
• 1:00:15
  Speaker 4: know you know more more cider guys like that? Yeah,
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 4: there's no there's no guy in this group you know
• 1:00:24
  Speaker 4: that's going to challenge for the Norris Trophy as as
• 1:00:26
  Speaker 4: a top defenseman in the NHL in terms of one
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 4: d like like top of the line first, you know,
• 1:00:33
  Speaker 4: defenseman potential.
• 1:00:34
  Speaker 2: I think Drysdale is the closest to it in terms
• 1:00:36
  Speaker 2: of pure talent.
• 1:00:39
  Speaker 4: He's got to prove that he can stay healthy, though
• 1:00:42
  Speaker 4: he has not shown that thus far in his career.
• 1:00:46
  Speaker 2: So he's a guy that you know.
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 4: And and even in terms of developing consistency, it's hard
• 1:00:51
  Speaker 4: to develop consistency when you're not consistently on the ice.
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 2: So that's something that that that he's got to do.
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 4: I mean, if you've got a solid defensive corps all
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 4: the way through, I think you can get away.
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 2: With not having the number one defenseman.
• 1:01:09
  Speaker 4: If you've got like, if you've got it, like an
• 1:01:13
  Speaker 4: entire defensive corps that grades out as second pairing guys,
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 4: that's not bad.
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 2: I mean, because you know, even even your your third pair.
• 1:01:21
  Speaker 4: I mean, if they would be second pair guys on
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 4: another team, on a contending team, right, I mean, that's
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 4: that's not bad at all.
• 1:01:28
  Speaker 2: I mean, you don't have to have a superstar at
• 1:01:29
  Speaker 2: every position. It would be nice.
• 1:01:32
  Speaker 4: It's something that you know, if the if the Flyers
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 4: pipeline was further along, they would.
• 1:01:37
  Speaker 2: Have that guy. But I feel like they, you know,
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 2: even even.
• 1:01:41
  Speaker 4: With having Mitchikoff here now after losing, after you know,
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 4: having a trade, got a you know, you still need
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 4: stuff up front in the forward positions. You you still
• 1:01:52
  Speaker 4: need to have a number one center, which you don't have,
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 4: and that's always going to be the priority with this team.
• 1:01:58
  Speaker 4: So even even if if this team bottoms out this
• 1:02:03
  Speaker 4: year for whatever reason, everything if they have a Murphy's
• 1:02:06
  Speaker 4: loss season and everything that can go wrong does go wrong,
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 4: and they are sitting up near the top of what's
• 1:02:11
  Speaker 4: going to be a pretty loaded draft this coming year,
• 1:02:15
  Speaker 4: there's a lot of there's a couple guys that could
• 1:02:18
  Speaker 4: potentially profile as a number one center, and if that's
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 4: a position the Flyers are sitting in, believe me, that's
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 4: what they're going to take. So I mean, that's a
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 4: long way of saying, you know, I don't think they
• 1:02:29
  Speaker 4: have that guy. Bank is a guy that intrigues me.
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 4: I hear nothing but good things about him in juniors.
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 4: He's a guy whose dad played in the NHL, so
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 4: you know he's been around in the NHL locker room.
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 4: You know, you would think, and he he knows what
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 4: being a pro is all about. So he's a guy
• 1:02:46
  Speaker 4: that's going to walk in on day one and you
• 1:02:48
  Speaker 4: probably don't have to worry about him from a maturity
• 1:02:51
  Speaker 4: standpoint or being overwhelmed or not understanding you know, the
• 1:02:55
  Speaker 4: moment or anything like that.
• 1:02:57
  Speaker 2: He's going to be just fine.
• 1:02:58
  Speaker 4: I think between York and I'm Drysdale Bank, I think
• 1:03:01
  Speaker 4: that's a solid top four again, not spectacular, not superstar,
• 1:03:06
  Speaker 4: but if everything else is good, if you've got a
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 4: good goalie that you can count on, and if you've
• 1:03:12
  Speaker 4: if you've got a really good forward group, you can
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 4: win with that for I think.
• 1:03:16
  Speaker 1: You can, okay, I I boy, what was I was reading?
• 1:03:20
  Speaker 1: I think it was one of Charlie O'Connor's recent articles
• 1:03:23
  Speaker 1: where he was talking about Bonk and how he's he's
• 1:03:28
  Speaker 1: that type of defenceman where he's kind of like like
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 1: good at everything but not great at any one type
• 1:03:36
  Speaker 1: of thing for an NHL defenceman. And and I think
• 1:03:40
  Speaker 1: that's it was an interesting way that he put it,
• 1:03:42
  Speaker 1: because if you're just good at everything, I would hope
• 1:03:46
  Speaker 1: and I would hope that something within the toolbox is
• 1:03:50
  Speaker 1: going to outshine something else at some point as you
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 1: continue to develop. And that's why I think bank look,
• 1:03:57
  Speaker 1: like I said earlier, he took some big steps last
• 1:04:00
  Speaker 1: season in his development, and I think that if he's
• 1:04:04
  Speaker 1: able to take that I'm good at everything but not
• 1:04:08
  Speaker 1: great at any one thing, that something is going to
• 1:04:11
  Speaker 1: be able to shine within that toolbox. If that makes sense.
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 2: Now, I mean it would be great.
• 1:04:15
  Speaker 4: It would be great that he, you know, ends up
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 4: out playing what the you know what the people that
• 1:04:22
  Speaker 4: look at prospects, you know, prognosticated him to be.
• 1:04:24
  Speaker 2: I mean that sign me up for that. You can
• 1:04:26
  Speaker 2: do that.
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 4: But I still think when you when you look at
• 1:04:30
  Speaker 4: this list of guys that you have here, including McDonald
• 1:04:33
  Speaker 4: and Andre who I think you know, especially Andre, I
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 4: mean he's a guy that if he's one of your
• 1:04:38
  Speaker 4: third pairing defensemen, I think you're probably in a pretty
• 1:04:41
  Speaker 4: decent place.
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 2: But when I look at this group that you've got
• 1:04:44
  Speaker 2: listed here. To me, I think Drysdale is just from
• 1:04:48
  Speaker 2: a strict talent standpoint, I think he's your clear cut
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 2: number one guy.
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 1: Yep, that's going to do it. For our twenty twenty
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 1: four Best of show next week, we are going to
• 1:04:59
  Speaker 1: be diving back into our Philly sports content and talking
• 1:05:02
  Speaker 1: about current events, what's going on in the world of
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 1: Philly sports and the sports world in general. We'd love
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 1: to hear from you too as we're heading into twenty
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 1: twenty five here. If you have any suggestions for us,
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 1: we'd love to hear from you. Shoot us off in
• 1:05:15
  Speaker 1: an email Philadelphia Sports Table at gmail dot com. We'd
• 1:05:19
  Speaker 1: love to read your email here on the show and
• 1:05:22
  Speaker 1: respond to it. Got a couple emails recently that we
• 1:05:26
  Speaker 1: were hoping to dive into. Hopefully they'll be relevant by
• 1:05:29
  Speaker 1: the time we start up next week. If they aren't, folks,
• 1:05:32
  Speaker 1: very much appreciate you taking the time to reach out
• 1:05:35
  Speaker 1: to us. So with that being said, you all take care,
• 1:05:38
  Speaker 1: Let's have a great twenty twenty five. We'll catch you
• 1:05:41
  Speaker 1: next time.