WEBVTT - Wedding Crashers 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:16.560 Hi, everybody. 0:00:16.600 --> 0:00:20.720 Welcome to The Phillies Show with Ruben Tomorrow Junior, Jim Salisbury. 0:00:20.880 --> 0:00:24.159 I am Todd Zuleki. Guys who got intro music. This 0:00:24.280 --> 0:00:27.080 is like a big deal. What do you think about 0:00:27.120 --> 0:00:27.800 the new tune? 0:00:30.680 --> 0:00:31.800 It's got some thump to it. 0:00:32.240 --> 0:00:35.960 Yeah, it's up or somebody figured did. 0:00:35.800 --> 0:00:36.600 Somebody like write this? 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:39.400 Or I had to go to a website. 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:42.040 I had to go to a website because Jim recommended 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:44.760 he texted us a song. I don't even know what 0:00:44.800 --> 0:00:46.960 the band was, and we don't have the rights of 0:00:46.960 --> 0:00:47.360 that song. 0:00:47.440 --> 0:00:49.880 No, it's a good song. I think I wanted. 0:00:51.360 --> 0:00:55.720 The intro to Life is just a fantasy by Aldo Nova. 0:00:55.800 --> 0:00:59.960 It really rocks. It's kind of from my twenties, you know, 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:01.000 when I was a rocker. 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:04.960 If this podcast takes off, I'll reach out to the agent. 0:01:05.040 --> 0:01:06.720 Maybe they can give us the right so we can 0:01:06.840 --> 0:01:07.200 use it. 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:10.760 Yeah, so you were a heavy metal rocker or just 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:11.319 a rocker. 0:01:11.959 --> 0:01:14.960 I just I like I like it all, but you know, 0:01:15.720 --> 0:01:18.400 I liked a little headbang and stuff at times, a 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:22.119 little uh guns and Roses, little Motley. 0:01:21.800 --> 0:01:30.080 Crew, Cinderella nice that I really like Cinderella hardcore. 0:01:30.160 --> 0:01:31.120 That's a little hardcore. 0:01:31.600 --> 0:01:33.319 Yeah, I didn't know. I didn't know. 0:01:33.560 --> 0:01:34.919 I didn't know you're into Cinderella. 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:38.120 No, I didn't know it was I didn't know that either. Interesting. 0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:40.520 What about you, Joe, You seem like a grungey kind 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:41.000 of a dude. 0:01:41.040 --> 0:01:45.720 You know, I actually am more a classic rock guy. 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:47.960 My first concert I ever saw was Tom Petty and 0:01:47.960 --> 0:01:51.920 the Heartbreakers back in high school. That was that was 0:01:52.040 --> 0:01:56.040 That was? Yes, absolutely, So that's kind of more my wheelhouse. 0:01:56.320 --> 0:01:58.040 I used to love a lot of new wave, Like 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:00.800 I still love the Cars. I listened to the Cars 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:01.360 all the time. 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:04.000 Oh yeah, yeah, that's fantastic. 0:02:04.400 --> 0:02:05.000 Yeah, what about you? 0:02:05.440 --> 0:02:08.440 I'm pretty eclectic. I mean I basically like all types 0:02:08.440 --> 0:02:10.480 of music. I went through all types of phases I 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:13.120 went through. I'm a little bit into the country now, 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:16.799 but I wasn't in a country like when I first 0:02:16.840 --> 0:02:21.000 started playing professional baseball, listening to like Clinton Black and 0:02:21.240 --> 0:02:29.200 uh I mean McGraw and Randy Travis. I was into 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:31.960 that for a while. But I also like dance tunes, 0:02:32.000 --> 0:02:34.839 I mean, Earth Wind and Fire and U two. It's 0:02:34.919 --> 0:02:37.160 not a dance but I was a huge U two 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:41.639 fan and still am. But I'm all over the map, man. 0:02:42.080 --> 0:02:44.959 You guys. You guys remember the day Kenny Chesney came 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:47.160 to visit Doc Yes. 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:52.160 In Clearwater. Yeah, he was in Charlie's office, right, how 0:02:52.160 --> 0:02:57.320 about that? Yeah, y speaking, that's. 0:02:57.160 --> 0:02:59.600 A lot of celebrities zipping in and out. I saw 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:02.200 like and uh a bunch of golfers when we were 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:05.000 in Boston I was coaching there. I mean, it happens 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:06.640 all the time. It's kind of cool. 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:10.120 Remember the time, uh so John Lovett showed up in 0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:13.280 the press box and I made him laugh. It's the 0:03:13.280 --> 0:03:15.399 most one of the most proud moments of my life 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:16.800 when I made John Lovetts laugh. 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:19.360 That was I remember he showed up in the press 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:22.360 box in clear Water and you brought up a line 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:24.440 from a league of their own and you made him laugh. 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:25.440 That is pretty cool. 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:27.440 And then he started mimicking the scene and we were 0:03:27.440 --> 0:03:28.720 going back and forth doing it. 0:03:30.280 --> 0:03:32.000 You could have been a king of improv. You could 0:03:32.000 --> 0:03:34.160 have been a king of improv, but end up being 0:03:34.200 --> 0:03:34.960 a baseball writer. 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:37.920 We did, we did at one time we did in Cleveland. 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:40.680 Jay Lannel Jay Leno came in and did like one 0:03:40.720 --> 0:03:45.120 of his opens at in our in our clubhouse, and 0:03:45.160 --> 0:03:48.640 he had like he had us like putting our EyeBlack 0:03:48.680 --> 0:03:51.119 on and like the and the camera was panning through 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:52.840 and then and then at the end he was putting 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:57.960 on like lipsticks like that. 0:03:57.960 --> 0:03:59.880 That's fantastic. It's gotta be a video that so. 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:02.240 Where no doubt, no doubt. 0:04:02.440 --> 0:04:05.680 So we Jimmy mentioned headbanging. Kind of a head banging 0:04:05.720 --> 0:04:10.400 week for the Phillies two and four to start the season. 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:14.880 Not great. What kind of jumped out to you guys 0:04:14.960 --> 0:04:20.000 when you think back to this first week? You know, panic? 0:04:20.520 --> 0:04:23.040 Not panic? Where do you guys come down on this, 0:04:23.560 --> 0:04:25.279 jim No panic. 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:28.680 I think panic is a horrible emotion for. 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:29.560 The game of baseball. 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:33.039 I think you need to be even keeled to play 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:37.000 this game and to manage this game, to cover this game, 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:39.240 and to even be a fan of this game. Sometimes 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:41.760 hard test your patience a little bit, especially the first 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:44.960 week when everything's magnified two and four. 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:46.720 You wanted a little bit better. 0:04:46.480 --> 0:04:49.120 But you know, you've got about one hundred and fifty 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:51.800 six games to turn things around. 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:53.520 There were some pluses, There were some minuses. 0:04:53.560 --> 0:04:59.400 Defense, a little ragged offense not there, I mean, save 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:01.080 for you know, the Harper night. 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:03.160 But there were some positives. 0:05:03.160 --> 0:05:05.400 I mean, I thought you got some good starts and 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:08.440 starting pitchings only walk four batters, that's a pretty pretty 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:12.839 good plus so tough weather to play in, no excuse. 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:15.760 Cincinnati got it done, Phillies didn't get it done, but 0:05:17.880 --> 0:05:21.080 not an ideal start. And but you know, I think 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:23.120 you can go to Washington now hopefully the weather will 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:26.240 get better. And you know, I do think eventually they're 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:29.600 going to hit their stride. I certainly saw nothing. Uh, 0:05:30.279 --> 0:05:32.880 you know, though not pleased with everything, I saw nothing 0:05:32.920 --> 0:05:33.919 to panic about. 0:05:33.960 --> 0:05:35.680 Rub Yeah. 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:38.080 Yeah, you don't think you're gonna see panic from this team. 0:05:38.120 --> 0:05:40.320 They're pretty even keeled, and they're also one of the 0:05:40.360 --> 0:05:44.120 most resilient ball clubs. Like a lot of stuff that 0:05:44.720 --> 0:05:46.600 you know, I talk about this all the time. They're 0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:48.480 a little bit like goldfish. They don't have a very 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:51.560 good memory, which is great, and I think that's part 0:05:51.600 --> 0:05:55.320 of being a veteran group. And and uh, and there's 0:05:55.440 --> 0:05:57.800 a lot of guys in that team, like Schwarber and 0:05:57.960 --> 0:06:02.920 Turner and of Harper, like some of the veteran guys, 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:05.880 and you know, add like a Merryfield. I don't think 0:06:05.920 --> 0:06:09.080 that they get all that you know hyped up. JT. 0:06:09.640 --> 0:06:11.640 You don't get hyped up about stuff that happened in 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:14.400 the past. I think they sort of Okay, that's over, 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:18.480 that's baseball, and let's move forward. I am concerned about 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:21.600 their offense right now, and the concern that I've had 0:06:21.640 --> 0:06:24.520 about their offense is that, you know, obviously they were 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:29.520 exposed last year in the playoffs in the NLCS about 0:06:29.600 --> 0:06:33.440 Chase and that sort of thing and their swing decisions, 0:06:33.800 --> 0:06:37.840 and frankly, during the course of spring training, nor during 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:39.640 the course of this early part of the season, do 0:06:39.720 --> 0:06:43.279 I see that changing a whole lot. I know it's early. 0:06:43.760 --> 0:06:45.479 I know that they haven't had a lot of reps, 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:47.240 which was a little bit of a concern for me. 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:48.920 And part of the reason why they didn't have a 0:06:48.960 --> 0:06:51.120 lot of reps in a bats is because there was 0:06:51.160 --> 0:06:54.200 a pretty serious virus or whatever illness that was going 0:06:54.240 --> 0:06:57.560 through the clubhouse, and I don't think that helped them. 0:06:57.800 --> 0:07:01.279 As far as what I think toppers play was. I 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:04.279 think his plan was going to be different than what 0:07:04.440 --> 0:07:07.640 he had done the previous spring training as far as 0:07:08.320 --> 0:07:11.120 getting these guys ready to get it have a better start, 0:07:12.000 --> 0:07:13.880 and I think that kind of messed up the plans, 0:07:14.120 --> 0:07:17.040 and so what we see right now is a little 0:07:17.040 --> 0:07:19.880 bit of the same thing that we've seen at the 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:23.080 end of the year last year and for most of 0:07:23.120 --> 0:07:26.400 the spring. I didn't see a whole lot of plate 0:07:26.480 --> 0:07:28.640 discipline during the spring. And I'm not just talking about 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:33.120 Joann Ross or Castiganos. I'm talking about like a lot 0:07:33.120 --> 0:07:36.520 of those guys, not all of them, because the young 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:41.080 guys are actually having really good at bats. I think Boone, Stott, 0:07:41.600 --> 0:07:44.240 Marsh those guys are having pretty damn good at bats. 0:07:44.320 --> 0:07:46.600 And even I like what I see out of Schwarber 0:07:46.680 --> 0:07:49.400 because he's utilize in the middle of the field much better. 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:51.720 He's getting some up in the middle. He's even breaking 0:07:51.760 --> 0:07:53.600 a couple of bats, which isn't the worst thing in 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:56.880 the world for him, probably, but now he's got a 0:07:56.920 --> 0:08:01.720 couple of homers. But so it's not everybody, but like 0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:05.440 it's sort of if you're looking at the vast the 0:08:05.440 --> 0:08:09.760 majority of the advats that I see. I'm not really 0:08:09.880 --> 0:08:12.880 all that excited about what I have seen so far, 0:08:13.120 --> 0:08:15.920 and I think it will turn around, but it better 0:08:16.560 --> 0:08:19.720 because if it doesn't. The offense is really sort of 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:21.960 what they built this team around. There's a lot of 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:25.120 money in the offense. The offense and the starting pitching, 0:08:25.680 --> 0:08:29.320 and if there's if those two things, those two elements 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:32.560 do not work well during the course of the season, 0:08:32.600 --> 0:08:34.719 then it could be a little difficult. 0:08:34.960 --> 0:08:39.400 Is it possible to change somebody's stripes? Because every spring, 0:08:40.200 --> 0:08:42.760 every year, no matter how good the offense is, you know, 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:44.839 you have like the hitting coach and the manager and 0:08:45.200 --> 0:08:46.559 the GM or who I'm ever it is at the 0:08:46.600 --> 0:08:50.560 times they you know, this spring, we want to be 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:52.720 better with runners in scoring position. We want to make 0:08:52.760 --> 0:08:54.600 sure we get that runner in from third base. And 0:08:54.640 --> 0:08:57.520 it seems I almost feel like sometimes it's just kind 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:02.160 of something that you say, you know, or people say, 0:09:02.280 --> 0:09:05.480 and can guys actually change? I mean, there are there 0:09:05.520 --> 0:09:08.120 actually ways to improve a guy? You know, like for 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:12.320 so many years Jimmy Rollins, you know, can can we 0:09:12.360 --> 0:09:14.600 get him to see more pitches? Can we see in 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:16.640 every spring and be like, ah, we're gonna, We're going 0:09:16.720 --> 0:09:19.640 Jimmy worked with Tony Gwynn this offseason. He's gonna he's 0:09:19.679 --> 0:09:22.280 going to get a better eye. Then Jimmy was Jimmy though, 0:09:22.360 --> 0:09:24.920 you know, like he he You know, is is it 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:27.320 possible to actually change these guys? I don't. I don't 0:09:27.360 --> 0:09:29.040 I don't. I don't know. I mean, I think they're 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:30.920 better a certainly than what they've shown this week, but 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:33.400 there's always going to be some swing and miss. 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:37.040 I think it's very difficult to change because you know, 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:39.400 at this level, in a lot of cases, you are 0:09:39.480 --> 0:09:40.960 what you are, and when you get in the heat 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:45.440 of the battle, getting that battles box with you know, 0:09:45.520 --> 0:09:48.960 some guy six foot three inches bearing down on you, 0:09:49.200 --> 0:09:52.280 throwing you know, ninety six with sink, you are in 0:09:52.320 --> 0:09:54.440 that situation going to revert back to the thing you 0:09:54.480 --> 0:09:57.080 know best and the thing that makes you comfortable. And 0:09:57.240 --> 0:10:02.240 it's very hard to change approach, I believe. And Rubin 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:07.240 used an interesting word phrase, swing decision. That's something I've 0:10:07.240 --> 0:10:13.560 heard a lot of the last decade, and sometimes it. 0:10:15.280 --> 0:10:16.400 Just rubs me the wrong way. 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:19.440 Swing decision, because when I think, if you're in the 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:23.839 batter's box, and I'm probably nitpicking, but if you're in 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:27.760 the batter's box and you're making decisions, something's wrong. When 0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:32.080 you're in a batter's box, you should be reacting, not deciding. 0:10:33.400 --> 0:10:35.640 And I think there's a kind of a fine line there, 0:10:35.679 --> 0:10:39.319 because when you're deciding, it indicates to me that you're 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:41.880 thinking too much. You need to be in the batter's 0:10:41.880 --> 0:10:46.079 box and so well honed and so sharp that it's 0:10:46.080 --> 0:10:51.199 a reaction. But I don't know, can a guy change, Rubin. 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:53.800 I mean, you've spent years in the batter's box as 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:56.679 a player, you've coached, you've put together teams as a GM. 0:10:57.160 --> 0:11:01.319 Can guys change when they are noted? 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:06.960 Maybe not free swingers, but close to free swingers. 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:09.120 You make a great point. First of all, you made 0:11:09.160 --> 0:11:13.160 a great point as far as decisions and reacting. When 0:11:13.200 --> 0:11:16.120 I say swing decisions, that's sort of what I mean. 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:21.320 But you're right, Jim, because what I see now is 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:26.359 because of the fact that we have these enormous velocities 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:31.559 and spin rates, or at least perceived the velocities and 0:11:31.600 --> 0:11:35.080 spin rates, because because the velocities are not being they're 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:37.240 not being recorded the same way as they used to be. 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:39.760 Now they're being recorded out of the hand, and it's 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:42.480 not at the plate where you used to get the 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:45.559 readings and all that stuff. So it's not as disparate 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:48.720 as people think it is over the last ten years. 0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:53.440 But when you start talking about that a lot, and 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:56.600 you start to think, look at the how coaches are 0:11:56.679 --> 0:12:00.800 coaching and how players are viewing their at back. They're 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:04.640 looking in the probabilities. The probability of this guy throwing 0:12:04.679 --> 0:12:07.840 a two to one slider, for instance, is seventy seven percent. 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:09.640 So now I'm going to look for a slider, and 0:12:09.640 --> 0:12:12.040 then when I get the basketball, I miss it. See, 0:12:12.080 --> 0:12:14.920 I think that's a problem. And when they're thinking too much, 0:12:15.280 --> 0:12:18.319 and and you made that comment, when hitters are thinking 0:12:18.360 --> 0:12:22.240 too much, you're you're kind of screwed, because if you're 0:12:22.240 --> 0:12:25.680 not just watching the baseball and reacting to it with 0:12:25.760 --> 0:12:28.640 a thought process, with a different sort of thought process, 0:12:29.280 --> 0:12:31.720 it's going to make hitting tougher and tougher and tougher. 0:12:32.120 --> 0:12:34.520 These guys are quick enough. They all can get to 0:12:34.600 --> 0:12:37.760 one hundred mile an hour fastball right their eye hand coordination. 0:12:37.840 --> 0:12:40.040 Otherwise they wouldn't be able to be playing baseball at all, 0:12:40.040 --> 0:12:43.760 at a level at the upper levels of baseball, So 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:50.360 their ability to react to that pitch is there. I 0:12:50.480 --> 0:12:54.160 do believe that it's more about making sure that you 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:58.160 instead of guessing at pitches or and I see guessing 0:12:58.240 --> 0:13:02.040 happening way way more now than it used to. Now, 0:13:02.080 --> 0:13:04.880 you should be looking into his zone or a space, 0:13:05.280 --> 0:13:08.200 or have an idea it's okay to think about getting 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:12.679 a certain pitch into certain count, and I don't think 0:13:12.679 --> 0:13:14.520 there's anything wrong with that when you're up in the 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:18.440 count or something like that. But there's so much more 0:13:18.480 --> 0:13:20.480 guessing going on now in the game, and I think 0:13:20.480 --> 0:13:23.640 that makes it tough. As far as changing your overall approach. 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:27.320 There's very few guys that I have seen make them 0:13:27.400 --> 0:13:30.320 those adjustments in Major League. The first guy that makes 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:33.600 me think of someone who has done it is Mike Schmidt. 0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:36.320 If you remember Mike Schmidt during the curse course of 0:13:36.360 --> 0:13:39.199 his first part of his career, I mean, he struck 0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:41.520 out a lot and he hit a lot of home runs, 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:44.400 but his average was very low, and I think he 0:13:44.480 --> 0:13:47.200 told himself, you know what, I'm going to do everything 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:49.400 I can to hit three hundred, and he started utilizing 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:51.600 the other side of the field. He flattened his bat out. 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:53.520 I mean I talked to him, I had conversation with 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:56.800 him about it, and he like late in his career 0:13:57.200 --> 0:13:59.320 when he felt like he didn't have the same sort 0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:01.880 of power to be able to drive the battle of 0:14:01.880 --> 0:14:03.680 the ballpark, he said, I'm going to be I'm gonna 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:05.400 try to make myself a little bit more complete hit 0:14:05.480 --> 0:14:07.160 or and so as average went up a little bit, 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:13.679 is numbers went down. I think guys can adjust. There 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.200 are certain guys who, hey, I want to hit more 0:14:16.240 --> 0:14:18.240 home runs this year, and if you try to try 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:20.760 to create a little bit more loft in their swing 0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:24.280 or things like that. But but to overall make revamp 0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:30.120 their you know, their approach, that's a hard, hard thing 0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:32.440 to do. And you're right when you're in the battle's 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:35.440 box and you're battling and you're locking in on trying 0:14:35.480 --> 0:14:37.760 to you know, make contact with somebody who's trying to 0:14:37.760 --> 0:14:41.520 get your ass out, you basically go back to what 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:44.240 who you are? You know, you go back to I 0:14:44.320 --> 0:14:46.400 had I had trouble hitting off speed pitches from the 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:49.680 left side, and well, what's the best way to not 0:14:49.920 --> 0:14:52.760 to hit, you know, to to to combat that, Well, 0:14:52.960 --> 0:14:55.480 don't miss the fastball. John Bukovich used to say, Hey, 0:14:55.840 --> 0:14:58.960 don't be looking for a bitch. You can't hit anyway, Like, 0:14:59.360 --> 0:15:01.120 why would you look for a break involved and you're 0:15:01.120 --> 0:15:03.680 gonna miss anyway. Make sure you don't miss the fastball 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:05.960 when that one comes. And it made a lot of sense. Now, 0:15:06.080 --> 0:15:08.200 right handed, I was a different I had I don't know, 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:10.600 my eye hand coordination was totally different, so I can 0:15:10.680 --> 0:15:14.360 hit off speed pitch is much better right handed. But 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:16.800 but you know, I think the job of the hitting 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:20.000 coach has always been the same to me. Try to 0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:23.760 maximize the things that that player does really really well, 0:15:24.680 --> 0:15:29.240 and try to minimize some of the you know, some 0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:34.560 of the challenges he has as a hitter. But I 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:37.400 don't know, it's hard to make a like a complete change. 0:15:37.440 --> 0:15:42.000 You can sort of change your mindset, but your actual 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:48.400 your actual ability to do that, it's really really tough. 0:15:49.800 --> 0:15:53.280 Well, they're going I need to, like you said, put 0:15:53.280 --> 0:15:55.880 the starting pitching and the offense that both need to 0:15:55.920 --> 0:15:58.120 be good, and they need to get the offense going 0:15:58.160 --> 0:16:02.320 to avoid you know, they've had two slow starts in 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:04.040 the last couple of years and they've ended up in 0:16:04.040 --> 0:16:07.320 the postseason. But eventually it wears you out climbing that 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:10.440 hill all year. It'd be nice to think, right toosh. 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:15.400 So last night during the game, it's miserable outside and 0:16:15.760 --> 0:16:19.600 they're losing, and I'm going, I feel like every year 0:16:19.720 --> 0:16:21.880 these guys get off to a slow start. So I 0:16:21.880 --> 0:16:24.200 actually went back and I looked, this is my twenty 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:29.200 second season covering the Phillies. Through six games, they've had 0:16:29.200 --> 0:16:32.440 a winning record four times. In those twenty two years, 0:16:32.720 --> 0:16:35.960 they've had a losing record ten times, five hundred and 0:16:36.040 --> 0:16:41.640 eight times. Winning records twenty ten to twenty eleven, no surprise, 0:16:41.760 --> 0:16:45.320 great pitching, great teams. Twenty nineteen they got off to 0:16:45.320 --> 0:16:47.200 a fast start. Twenty twenty one, they got off to 0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:53.680 a fast start. So yeah, yeah, I wasn't doing ninety 0:16:53.680 --> 0:16:57.320 three yet. But two thousand and seven they give every 0:16:57.320 --> 0:16:59.120 one in five. Two thousand and eight they were two 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:01.720 and four. Last year there were one in five. So 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:04.159 but yeah, it's just like, do you really want to 0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:07.520 go through this again, through this gut where you know, 0:17:07.560 --> 0:17:09.200 in June you're like, all right, we better kick it 0:17:09.280 --> 0:17:10.840 up a notch if we're going to win a wild card, 0:17:10.840 --> 0:17:13.119 because it's you know, you don't want to count on 0:17:13.160 --> 0:17:17.000 that second half kick to make the playoffs because one 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:18.600 of these times you're going to get buried too much 0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:21.159 and that kick's not going to come and and uh, 0:17:21.320 --> 0:17:23.080 you're going to be behind the eight ball. You know, 0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:26.479 started a little bit earlier. 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:30.080 This time, was just sitting through that range away. 0:17:30.640 --> 0:17:38.560 Oh my gosh, I really can't believe, you know, it 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:41.480 was funny because Bryce. I asked Bryce after the three 0:17:41.480 --> 0:17:45.240 home run game, I said, how miserable were you? And 0:17:45.280 --> 0:17:46.960 he put it in the terms that I could relate to, 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:49.639 because I actually I've never played at that level. And 0:17:49.680 --> 0:17:53.159 he says, well, I mean you've played golf before. Imagine 0:17:53.320 --> 0:17:55.920 going out and playing eighteen holes of golf in that weather. 0:17:56.000 --> 0:17:57.800 And I'm like, yeah, no. 0:17:57.800 --> 0:18:03.480 Thanks, I mean it's it's I will tell you that 0:18:03.600 --> 0:18:07.280 as a hitter, I think the pitcher has a great advantage. 0:18:07.720 --> 0:18:10.000 I mean, they already has a great advantage in baseball, 0:18:11.440 --> 0:18:15.400 but when you start exposing them to like rain drops 0:18:15.440 --> 0:18:18.600 and freezing weather and your hands don't feel right, and 0:18:18.680 --> 0:18:21.720 I mean it's it's tough to hit. Man, it's tough, 0:18:21.760 --> 0:18:23.840 and like both teams had to go through it, but 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:28.400 it's you've got to have some mental fortitude to play baseball. 0:18:28.640 --> 0:18:30.520 I mean, it wasn't this. This is a game that 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:33.240 was not meant to play be played in those conditions. 0:18:33.280 --> 0:18:36.640 But I will tell you these guys value their off 0:18:36.720 --> 0:18:40.320 days so much that I guarantee you the players wanted 0:18:40.359 --> 0:18:43.520 to play that game, even though they probably bitched and 0:18:43.560 --> 0:18:46.480 complained about it the whole time. At the end of 0:18:46.520 --> 0:18:48.960 the day. They would rather do that than than not 0:18:49.080 --> 0:18:50.320 have this off day today. 0:18:50.840 --> 0:18:54.320 Yeah, well there was, and it's sunny out now as 0:18:54.359 --> 0:18:58.040 we're chatting, and they both had off days on the 0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:00.560 schedule today. But you know, I understand, and it's early 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:02.080 in the year. The Reds want to get home, probably 0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:04.919 get guys looking for apartments. Phillies probably have guys, you know, 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:09.400 moving into apartments, or they're traveling to Washington. And off 0:19:09.480 --> 0:19:11.679 days are are good for your body, they're good for 0:19:11.720 --> 0:19:13.800 your mind, and he gets you some family time. 0:19:13.880 --> 0:19:16.720 And they're around the ballpark more than ever now. They're 0:19:16.760 --> 0:19:18.840 they're walking in at twelve thirty in the afternoon. They're 0:19:18.840 --> 0:19:19.720 having a lunch. You know. 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:22.960 That's that's because they have all three of their meals 0:19:22.960 --> 0:19:23.520 in one spot. 0:19:23.560 --> 0:19:25.280 Yeah, it's crazy of their meals. 0:19:25.359 --> 0:19:26.800 Yeah, they used to be like that. 0:19:27.040 --> 0:19:29.800 Like Frank Copenbarger always tells the great story when he 0:19:29.840 --> 0:19:34.480 worked for the Cardinals clubhouse man that Whitey Herzog would, well, 0:19:34.520 --> 0:19:36.080 it would be the first one there every day. He 0:19:36.119 --> 0:19:39.720 would unlocked the clubhouse at three o'clock. And if you'd 0:19:39.800 --> 0:19:41.080 never have time to get ready for the game at 0:19:41.080 --> 0:19:42.240 three o'clock, something. 0:19:42.080 --> 0:19:44.160 Was wrong and he would unlock the clubhouse. 0:19:44.200 --> 0:19:46.840 Didn't want anybody there before then because he wanted your home, 0:19:46.840 --> 0:19:49.199 eating lunch with your family, and and and having a 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:53.320 balanced life. So I understand the value of off days 0:19:53.800 --> 0:19:56.760 a lot. And but I was laughing last night. There 0:19:56.760 --> 0:19:59.080 was this rumor going around that, you know, they needed 0:19:59.080 --> 0:20:01.359 to get the game in last night because there was 0:20:01.359 --> 0:20:02.040 a wedding at. 0:20:01.920 --> 0:20:06.080 The bank today. 0:20:07.040 --> 0:20:11.760 The stupidest it was not true. 0:20:12.160 --> 0:20:14.639 There's a divorce going on there, so it's it was, 0:20:14.720 --> 0:20:15.920 It's exactly. 0:20:16.240 --> 0:20:16.840 It's funny. 0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:20.080 So apparently it was set on the TBS broadcast the 0:20:20.160 --> 0:20:22.000 night before. I did not know that. And then and 0:20:22.000 --> 0:20:25.160 then the apparently somebody said it on the Red's pregame show. 0:20:25.760 --> 0:20:29.600 So next thing you know, I'm having people say I 0:20:29.640 --> 0:20:31.760 can't believe they're not They're gonna make the fans sit 0:20:31.800 --> 0:20:34.200 through this because there's a wedding tomorrow at the ballpark. 0:20:34.359 --> 0:20:37.320 So now the world I live in, I have to go. 0:20:37.960 --> 0:20:40.800 I gotta check on this. It's been said on the 0:20:40.840 --> 0:20:43.920