Phillies Nation Podcast

Today’s episode is brought to you by our sponsors! - Out of the Park Baseball is Ian and Steve's favorite baseball game and it should be yours, too! OOTP '17 arrive on March 22 and is available NOW on OOTPDevelopments.com! Use the promo code PHILLIES17 to get 10% off OOTP Baseball '17! – 100 Greatest Phillies of All Time by Ian Riccaboni - now available on Amazon!! All purchases and reviews help more Phillies fans find the 100 Greatest Phillies of All Time! Thanks for helping make this book #1 in both the paid and free sections of "BASEBALL" on Amazon! This week, Steve Corino and Ian Riccaboni jump head first into the first fifteen games of the season after travels took both across the country and the world! First, Steve and Ian talk about the promise of the starting rotation, including Vincent Velasquez's masterful 16 K, 3 H, 0 BB performance last Thursday and how Ian kept up with the game while on line in Disneyland! They talk about the judicious use of the curveball, which through Tuesday, was on pace to break the modern record set by the 2012 Pirates. The common thread? Charlie Morton, the all-time leader in PitchFX stat Spin Rate measuring the rotations per minute on curveball. Next, the bullpen is discussed. David Hernandez is on pace (93) to break Kent Tekulve's 1987 single-season Phillies record for appearances in a season (90) but will he even last through April? Hector Neris has been discussed as a positive surprise and the shuffling of closers through Dailier Hinojosa to Jeanmar Gomez is discussed. Can Gomez be a long term option? Will he mature into a trade chip? From the good to the bad to the ugly: the Phillies MLB-worst offense is discussed. Steve plays guess the batting average and Steve and Ian discuss if there is any help in sight in the form of Cameron Perkins. The acquisition of outfielder Alfredo Marte is touched on before moving to the hot-hitting Andrew Knapp. With Phillies fans giving Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz "the legend pop", do you want to see Knapp put pressure on either with his hot hitting? Steve and Ian play the weekly game of "How long will Freddy Galvis last as the Phillies starting shortstop?" before moving into a hypothetical: with how bad the Braves are, the known unpredictability of the Marlins, and poor Mets hitting, does it pain you at all to think that this Phillies team could have started the rebuild earlier and potentially ran up wins on bad teams? Finally, we ask listeners to give Ian a wrestling nickname after his Wikipedia page was vandalized and was given the nicknames "The Riccabonesaw" and the "The Riccapocolypse". Best name gets a prize as Ian catches up with previous prizes awarded for past winners! Thanks for listening!

Today’s episode is brought to you by our sponsors! – Out of the Park Baseball is Ian and Steve’s favorite baseball game and it should be yours, too! OOTP ’17 arrive on March 22 and is available NOW on OOTPDevelopments.com! Use the promo code PHILLIES17 to get 10% off OOTP Baseball ’17! – 100 Greatest Phillies of All Time by Ian Riccaboni – now available on Amazon! The digital copy is now FREE through April 2 thanks to the support of listeners like you! Head over to Amazon and download your digital copy today! All downloads and reviews help more Phillies fans find the 100 Greatest Phillies of All Time! This week, Steve Corino and Ian Riccaboni jump head first into this year’s Spring season! Highlights, lowlights, any surprises? News that you may have missed since our last podcast: Pete Mackanin’s extension, Hellickson being named Opening Day starter, Vince Velasquez making the Opening Day roster as the fifth starter, and the signing of Will Venable. The reserve spots are likely down to Emmanuel Burris, Cedric Hunter, and Venable. Who makes the cut? The opening-day bullpen is rumored to include David Hernandez, Dalier Hinojosa, Brett Oberholtzer, Jeanmar Gomez, Daniel Stumpf and James Russell (9 Ks in 7 IP) with Mackanin advising that there is no clear closer. Who would YOU want to see close games for the Phillies? The final spot appears to be down to Andrew Bailey, Ernesto Frieri and Hector Neris. Who would you take? Note: Edward Mujica was re-signed to a minor league deal. They discuss why Velasquez over Adam Morgan and why Charlie Morton cracked the rotation. They catch up on former Phillies signing across baseball like Jimmy Rollins making the White Sox opening day roster, Shane Victorino starting the year in Triple-A for the Cubs, and Kyle Kendrick signing with the Angels after being cut by the Braves. They discuss the Futures Games to be held in Reading and Citizens Bank Park. March 31’s game will be the first in Reading since 2000 when the Phillies played a rare May game against the Reading Phillies. Finally, we talk final predictions: record, place in NL East, boldest prediction, and we find out what Steve and Ian think will define success and failure in April. Thanks for listening!

Today’s episode is brought to you by our sponsors! – Out of the Park Baseball is Ian and Steve’s favorite baseball game and it should be yours, too! OOTP ’17 is available NOW on OOTPDevelopments.com! Use the promo code PHILLIES17 to get 10% off OOTP Baseball ’17! – 100 Greatest Phillies of All Time by Ian Riccaboni – now available on Amazon! The digital copy can be yours for free if this podcast receives 15 Five Star reviews on iTunes by April 1! Get to writing and help spread the word of the PN Podcast and we’ll share the 100 Greatest Phillies of All Time! Ian Riccaboni is joined by Dan Szymborski of ESPN and FanGraphs in a chat recorded the evening of March 23. Thankfully - no drastic changes to the fabric of the Phillies occurred in that time! Dan and Ian talk about ZiPS, its accuracy as a projection tool, are young players more difficult to project, why pitchers are so tough to project, the outlook for the 2016 Phillies, and what it would take for the Phillies to earn a playoff spot in 2016 (hint: odds right now are only about 1 in 200!). Should Ruben Amaro get any of the credit if the Phillies end up turning things around quickly? Was it due to the "secret analytics lair" that Amaro claimed to have in an interview? How did the Phillies screw up so badly in the amateur drafts from 2008 through 2013? Dan and Ian touch on the robust MLB Free Agent class of 2018 and discuss why Phillies fans should get excited about that year! Dan and Ian briefly talk wrestling and why baseball needs more fun - a weird conversation coming from two stat-heavy baseballsmen! Be sure to check Dan out at @DSzymborski on Twitter and read his work on ESPN and FanGraphs!

Today's episode is brought to you by our sponsors! - Out of the Park Baseball is Ian and Steve's favorite baseball game and it should be yours, too! OOTP '17 arrive on March 22 and is available NOW on OOTPDevelopments.com! Use the promo code PHILLIES17 to get 10% off OOTP Baseball '17! - 100 Greatest Phillies of All Time by Ian Riccaboni - now available on Amazon! Ian Riccaboni and Steve Coring discuss the latest Phillies news including: A discussion of Steve's trip to Clearwater where he met Mickey Morandini, Larry Bowa, and took a very special photo with Larry Andersen! We discuss the rumored six-year, $39 million extension proposed to Maikel Franco - would you do it? We talk about Tim Malcolm's latest piece on what outfielders may be available to fill in for the injured Odubel Herrera and Aaron Altherr. Which free agents may be available after this season? Does Jose Bautista make sense? Would that signal a third stage of the rebuild? The game today in Cuba and the Phillies' history with Cuban players including current non-roster invitee Reinier Roibal and former 1960 Rookie of the Year runner-up Pancho Herrera. We found out where Phillies Nation listeners' Stevie Winwood allegiance lies: "ROLL WITH IT, BABY!"? We take view emails on Alex Rodriguez and Steve talks the importance of Ichiro Suzuki to baseball and baseball as international game Ian introduces a deal: if 15 five-star reviews for the Phillies Nation Podcast are posted on iTunes prior to April 1, he will post the 100 Greatest Phillies of All-Time's Kindle version for free. Send your questions, comments, and more to @ianriccaboni, @kingcorino, and @philliesnation! Like and subscribe on iTunes! Thanks for listening! About Ian Riccaboni: Ian has been a Phillies Nation contributor full-time since 2011 and is the author of The 100 Greatest Phillies of All Time. Ian can be seen on Phillies Nation TV, is the voice of Women of Honor, and is a Sports Media professor at Holy Family University. About Steve Corino: Steve is a life-long Phillies fan whose love for the Phillies dates back to the launch of PRISM! Steve is a former ECW World Champion who has 80 tours of Japan. His best friend Mr. Wrestling III can be seen every week calling Ring of Honor action in Philadelphia at 11:30 PM on Saturdays on WMCN 44 and Midnights every Wednesday on COMET.

Pat Gallen of CBS 3 returns to his Phillies Nation roots to discuss the (sometimes) painful transition from the 2008 championship team to the present and the emotional weight attached to players like Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz. He and Ian Riccaboni then discuss some quick subjects like Phillies win totals, J.P. Crawford, and more. This episode was sponsored by Out of the Park Baseball '17, available MARCH 22 for Windows, Mac, and Linux! Use promo code "PHILLIES17" to get 10% off your OOTP Baseball '17 order today at OOTPDevelopments.com!

In 2014, Ian Riccaboni and the Lehigh Valley TV crew sat down with Phillies' legend Curt Simmons to discuss his 13+ season career with the Phillies! In this very special, first-ever Throwback Thursday edition of the Phillies Nation Podcast, we bring you this interview uncut for the first time. Only portions had aired on Comcast SportsNet and Comcast Network. We have lots of content in our vaults, some of which has never been released before but we need to know if YOU the listener would enjoy Throwback Thursday posts! Let us know if you like or dislike these and we will happily adjust accordingly! This special episode of Phillies Nation Podcast is brought to you by Out of the Park Baseball '17, now available for pre-order on OOTPDevelopments.com! Save 10%, and help out Phillies Nation, using the special code "PHILLIES17"! This episode was also brought to you by "100 Greatest Phillies of All Time" by Ian Riccaboni, available on Amazon today!

Ian and Steve discuss the latest Phillies news including: - With Adam LaRoche gone, does Ryan Howard make sense with the Chicago White Sox? - Why Steve has a St. Patrick's day El Pulpo jersey (Ian has horrible Spanish/memory) - An update on the RED HOT (!) Phillies. Ian offers to mail them a trophy. - Ian and Steve try to sort out the bullpen. No trivia question this week but an essay: What if A-Rod breaks the home run record and says Hank Aaron is the real home run king? Send your answer to Steve@worldofcorino.com! Steve's son makes a very special appearance! Follow @ianriccaboni, @kingcorino, and @philliesnation! Like and subscribe on iTunes! Join us tomorrow for a special THROWBACK THURSDAY upload. That episode is NOT in "cannon" but features a very special Part 1 of an interview with Curt Simmons! Please check out our sponsors: - OOTP Baseball '17! OOTPDevelopments.com and use the promo code PHILLIES17 to get 10% OOTP Baseball '17! - 100 Greatest Phillies of All Time by Ian Riccaboni - now available on Amazon!

On this episode of the Phillies Nation Podcast, Ian Riccaboni returns from Vermont and Steve Corino returns from his 80th (!) trip to Japan to discuss: - A large majority of young Phillies' hitters are hitting well so far. Is the success in small samples more indicative of hitters being ahead of pitchers early in Spring, statistical anomaly, or a sign that the Phillies should get the permits for the World Series parade ready? - There are likely two catching spots. Carlos Ruiz likely has one. Which hot-hitting catcher out of Cameron Rupp, J.P. Arencibia, Andrew Knapp, and Jorge Alfaro starts the year alongside Chooch in Philly? - Darin Ruf hit two homers and has been hitting well while Ryan Howard is ill. How realistic is it that Ruf starts at first base, Howard gets cut, and or Brock Stassi sees time at first base? - Aaron Altherr has broken his left wrist - with Cody Asche battling an oblique injury, who becomes the third starting outfielder next to Peter Bourjos in left and Odubel Herrera in center? Can Tyler Goedel, Cedric Hunter, and David Lough all make the team and will those three plus Bourjos and Herrera be your outfield all season? - Phillies starters have been pitching well, but what do Ian and Steve think about the bullpen? With David Hernandez out, is there a clear closer? Does there need to be? - The Beatles?! Reflect on the passing of George Martin and debate which Beatle had the best solo catalog! – Last week’s trivia question answer and this week’s trivia question for a great prize! Be sure to Rate, Review, and Subscribe on iTunes and Like on SoundCloud! Next week: Ian and Steve will be LIVE from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia prior to the Ring of Honor event! Limited tickets still remain and this event WILL sell out so get your tickets now! Be sure to say hello to Ian and Steve if you see them around town! Send your questions, comments, and more to @philliesnation, @kingcorino, and @ianriccaboni. Thanks for listening! About Ian Riccaboni: Ian has been a Phillies Nation contributor full-time since 2011 and is the author of The 100 Greatest Phillies of All Time. Ian can be seen on Phillies Nation TV, is the voice of Women of Honor, and is a Sports Media professor at Holy Family University. About Steve Corino: Steve is a life-long Phillies fan whose love for the Phillies dates back to the launch of PRISM! Steve is a former ECW World Champion who has 80 tours of Japan. His best friend Mr. Wrestling III can be seen every week calling Ring of Honor action in Philadelphia at 11:30 PM on Saturdays on WMCN 44 and Midnights every Wednesday on COMET.

The Phillies took the field for the VERY FIRST TIME in 2016 today, vanquishing their newly minted rivals, the University of Tampa! Steve Corino and Ian Riccaboni are thrilled that they are among iTunes "New and Notable" and they talk about today's game, their excitement for the season to begin, the optimism found among Vegas bettors and casinos, old faces in new places, Ryan Howard, give a 2016 infield preview, and play a game of "Over/Under"! Also, Steve reveals why he hates George Bell and Ian reveals some proposed segments for PN TV that never made the air! Listen in for your chance to win this week's PN Trivia Question prize and be sure to support our sponsors Shibe Vintage Sports at shibevintagesports.com and The 100 Greatest Phillies of All Time now available on Amazon! Tweet comments, feedback, questions, and more to @KINGCorino and @ianriccaboni. Thank you for listening!

On this episode of the Phillies Nation Podcast, Ian Riccaboni and Steve Corino discuss: - The starting rotation for 2016 - Who will be the Opening Day Starter? - Which Phillies starter might be traded by midseason? - Which Phillies minor league starter might benefit the most from a midseason deal? - Who will be the Phillies starting catcher? - Which catchers to look for in minor league camp - Last week's trivia question answer and this week's trivia question for a great prize! Be sure to Rate, Review, and Subscribe on iTunes and Like on SoundCloud! Next week on the PN Podcast, Steve will be live from Vegas for the Ring of Honor 14th Anniversary show and we will be talking about the infield for 2016 as he gives us live updates from Vegas! The first Vegas line had the Phillies at 66.5 wins, ZiPS has them at 70 wins - who is closer? Send your questions, comments, and more to @philliesnation, @kingcorino, and @ianriccaboni. Thanks for listening!

With the trucks loaded up and headed to Clearwater, Ian and Steve have teamed up to bring you the Phillies Nation Podcast, all the Phillies you can handle with a 30-minute time limit!! On Episode 1, Ian and Steve discuss: - How Ian and Steve met - The strength of the Phillie Phanatic - How to bet on the Phillies in Vegas/why Steve is a high roller - Ian and Steve’s favorite and most disappointing acquisitions of the past offseason - Their favorite names of Phillies past - And this week’s trivia question where you can win a Phillies’ bobblehead! Listen for your chance to win!